


The Amulet of Mentis

by Lykeans



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/M, Fights, Friendship, Gen, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Sex, M/M, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-11 04:01:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4420511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lykeans/pseuds/Lykeans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the disasteroid, Vlad now sits on a slab of rock in orbit staring at the earth contemplating his current life and coming to terms with his mistakes. There was no way to change his predicament or erase the past...That was until Vlad met a mysterious hooded ghost and was given a chance at redemption. However, unknown to Vlad, his redemption comes with a heavy price.</p><p>Chapter 10: ~/"Vlad is in the basement."/~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The offer

**Author's Note:**

> Post Disasteroid...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending some time in space, Vlad meets a mysterious ghost named Nilla who gives him an irresistible offer.

In the orbit of space on a slab of rock, Vlad "Plasmius" Masters sighs in depression staring at the beauty known as earth. His legs were crossed as he sat, elbows rested as his hands held up his head. It's only been two weeks since the asteroid and the end of his life as he knows it. Well, he was only alive this long because of his ghost half. Who knows how long much longer he can keep it up; whether or not this have negative effects on his human side. 

He thought about returning to earth. Don't get him wrong, he knows how to get back. Just a simple answer of flying while intangible...but there was nothing there for him. Maddie no longer loves him, he realizes after so much thought while suspended in space. His love for her diminished the moment he had failed trying to take over the world. It was gamble...his last plan...it is was worth perusing but never had he thought the consequences will be this horrid. Another error on his part: ambition. No doubt Daniel earned more heroic appraises from his failure.

Daniel, his little Badger, hates him beyond any normal hatred he assumes. Lets not beat around the bush, it was his fault. He could've tried to get on the boy's good side instead of acting like a child and fought against the boy's teenage ambitions. Not an ounce of apology will get in the boy's good side. Daniel may just hunt him down alongside with the Guys in White and allow scientist to strap him down to a table and experiment on his body. Vlad shivers at the thought of needles and other horrors that came mind. Well, the boy has real reasons to hate him, but his father...

Jack left him out here to die - or his intentions as least. That in itself was confusing to Vlad. Never had the half ghost would've thought the man would cross the line of life and death. Sure he hunts ghost for a living, but they are already dead...No, Jack's actions were justified as well. He gotten cocky in the end and look and behold...Vlad Plasmius got greedy and screwed up!

"Fudge..." He runs his hands through his black hair, "BUTTER-FUDGE!" He shouts highest he could. "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDGE!" 

Silence in space.

So what's left, The Ghost Zone? HA! 

His portal would've been confiscated by now. The Fenton's portal heavily guard and locked under DNA security scanners. Besides, no one wants him there - not even his, most likely former, associates. Skulker has Ember to take care of and his reputation to keep. Fright Knight already left him days before the incident saying he would guard the sarcophagus of forever sleep from reawakening Pariah. The old vultures were captured months ago, who knows what happened to them. All of his promises he kept to other ghosts had vanished in a puff of smoke.

His identity...

His power...

...gone...

So what's left to do now that he has nothing?

Life...choosing to life may result to a prolong torture of his lonesome. He could return to earth and forever to be hunted down until he gives in. Or...death, the coward's way...he could end his own life. The most efficient way is snap of his neck, or he could turn human and let the coldness of space take him. Space is the painless way to go. It's an better option to snapping his neck...to end it here permanently like how Jack intended.

Vlad drops his hands into his lap and looks up to vast space. "Two weeks and I always come to the same result." He stands to his feet, cape draping to the front and covering his entire body. His red eyes not once leaving the stars in space. "Ah...I guess this is it."

"Are you sure?" Vlad turns around to see another ghost before him. She looked like your standard ghoul in a blue hooded cape, her eyes gleaming neon purple and skin green. "I'm sure I can offer you another path to take."

Vlad takes in his surroundings again to see a room filled with floating pictures in frames, a maze of halls and doors twisting in and out at a mind boggling pace. The air felt stale but filled with light scent of gentle sweetness. "Where am I? Am I in the ghost zone."

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Nilla." Vlad eyebrow rose in a quizzing manor and crosses his arms. The female floats around Vlad slowly, her voice smooth and charming, "I want you to do something for me, in return I'll give you an opportunity ...a restart in life. A chance to make even your fantasy to become a reality. Something that can achieve what the reality gauntlet...could not. All you have to do is wear this." With a wave of her hand a green ecto-sphere appears and morphs into...

...a cheap necklace?

You couldn't call it that even if you wanted to! The thing was literally three pieces of gravel tied together on what seems to be tooth floss. "You're joking right?" Vlad uncrosses his arms and wave his hand to the necklace. "How could this be a ghostly artifact?" The only thing impressive about it was the energy that was emitting from the necklace. A purple aura so strong that Vlad felt _slightly_ intimidated by it.

"Ah, that's because it is the oldest of all artifacts." She leaves the necklace floating in midair before Vlad, flying behind him and gripping his shoulders. "Think about it, not all ghostly artifacts are flashy and powerful. Others are tiny and old, long forgotten from their time. Not even the ghost of time remembers this little trinket." Her voice lowers to a hush whisper. "The Amulet of Mentis does all the bearer commands it." She flies off higher in the air before Vlad and behind the necklace. "You want to rule the ghost zone just declare it so and all shall be yours. You want the infi-map only to obey you and none other - then so be it! You want to control the free will of all beings both human and ghost...Mwahahahahahahahaaa! Do I need to explain! IT.DOES.ALL!"

Vlad looks at the amulet(?) and stares. "What's the catch?"

"The catch?" She floats down to his level, "You must be a ghost for it to work, everything within the amulet's power is permanent, and it may not come off once you put it on. Not even the Blade of Severing can sever the necklace from your neck."

Vlad's eyes opens wide, "That's it?" She nods, he glares. "And what _favor_ would you want in return?"

"To return to me once the entire amulet turns diamond."

"Turns diamond?"

"Yes, the amulet hasn't been used in over thousands of years. The amulet will only change appearance according to how much one uses it. Once diamond, it can be removed without struggle and return back to its resting place." Neon purple eyes frown at the floating necklace, "Now it's restless, begging to be used. Since I am its eternal guardian, I cannot turn away from its suffering." She looks back at Vlad and looks him in the eyes. "I'm giving you a chance to change everything you did wrong in return to do me this one favor."

Vlad looks back at the necklace in thought.

"Or would you rather go back to space and die?" Her voice calm and serene, a hushed whisper.

Vlad looks up to her with stunned eyes and then back down to the necklace. "How do I change it to diamond?"

"I do not know myself, nor could I search for it. The previous bearer wiped away any records from stopping him during his reign." She sighs, "And a few other things I wish I can remember."

Vlad sticks out his hand meeting half way to the necklace and stopping. His mind re-tracking earlier thoughts during his time in space. His thoughts on everyone he knew and associated with. His chances of survival...His past mistakes. It all boils down to one question: _Is there anything left to lose compared to what I can gain?_

"No...I have nothing left to lose and everything to gain!" Vlad grabs the amulet and his mind goes white.

In the last moments,Vlad feels his body fall to the ground as his mind sleeps.

 

An maniacal laughter echoes in darkness.

 

 


	2. Like Any Other Day..?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years has pass, and it's your typical every day life with Vlad...uh, except for the...accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want to say Timberland due to disclosure (not mine), so I said "Kimberland". You get it right?

"Plasmius..."

Vlad turns over in bed, ignoring the thick deep voice invading his dreams.

"Plasmius..." Callous fingers brushes stray white hair behind Vlad's ear. "You need to eat."

Vlad cracks open his eyes, his vision fuzzy, seeing ghost blue skin. "Mmmm..." He closes his eyes and snuggles deeper into the comforts of his Victorian bed; the warmth and scent from the bed came to the half ghost as heaven woven on cloud nine.

The male sighs, "You brought this upon yourself." Swiftly the blanket and sheet went intangible, sent flying onto the floor in a large messy pile. "You need to eat something."

Vlad opens his eyes and glares at the male ghost standing before him only in pants. "It's not like I'm going to die of starvation from another hour of sleep." Vlad grumbles, not liking his sleepy bliss taken away in such a villainous manner.

Dan Phantom smirks and jumps the half ghost. He uses his muscular body to pin Vlad to the bed, tightly pulling the half ghost against his body, "Or..." He kisses the half ghost, "You're hungry for something much more satisfying." He snakes his way into Vlad's mouth, his fork tongue slithering down the man's throat. Vlad moans into the kiss felling Dan's sharp fangs nicking his tongue and bottom lip, relishing the mixture of blood and taste that was Dan Phantom. The kiss escalates quickly into a heated make out session.  Dan slowly grinding against the half ghost. Vlad relaxing to Dan's attentiveness, responding in kind to everything the ghost was doing to him. That was until a sneaky hand had went between his legs and reminded him how naked he was.

Vlad shoves Dan off , "Later, I'm hungry." He quickly gets out of bed and finds a pair of pants to put on.

Dan grumbles, "All of a sudden, huh?" He glares down to the rather obvious large bulge in between his legs. "Tease..."

Vlad smirks, flipping his long hair over his shoulder, walking out of the room heading to the kitchen. "I did say _later_." He chuckles underneath his breath, knowing well Dan had heard him.

Vlad walks down the hall passing the many rooms in his and Dan's mansion. The curtains were always drawn back on the large arched windows allowing the constant glow of the ghost zone shine through. The fluorescent lighting - powered by some _ecto-generator_ , were always on -only to turn off when he or Dan were sleeping. The mansion was obsessively large to the point Vlad had gotten lost more times he could count on is fingers; eight floors, over two hundred rooms, three attics, nine basements, secret passages connecting to all rooms in the mansion, three laboratories - one with the only ghost portal, an indoor pool, indoor garden, a wine cellar, three and a half kitchens, a ball room, an indoor arcade - for some reason they have it, and...practically anything anyone would ever want. The only problems with the household is the emptiness once one is alone and the need for human food, in Vlad's case.

Dan Phantom being his, Vlad Plasmius, mate would always go out into the human world and get enough food to last him a week. There were times during Dan's trips the ghost would come back worse for wear and with no food for Vlad. However that issue had been solved by simply disguising himself as a human, keeping his energies low and buying groceries. It works for about three months now. Not that Vlad minds any of it, mind you, he just wants to get his own meals. He wants to explore the human world and see the world he barely knew.

 _Screw being cooped up!_ Vlad thought, frowning. _I already explored the ghost zone both in and out. I want to see what humans look like. Are they like me?_ He looks to his human arm. _Are they all warm and have blood running in_ _their veins? Do they speak like they do in the books and audio I hear or is there some telepathic ability?_ Vlad sighs, _W_ _hatever it is it wouldn't matter. Dan wouldn't let me step one foot out of the ghost zone._  Vlad rolls his eyes as he walks into the kitchen and spotting Dan sitting at the table with a plate of food across from him.

"You can be so annoying with teleportation sometimes." Vlad sits at the table eyeing the eggs, bacon, and pancakes on plate. "So, are we to train again or may I go back to sleep once we're done after around three?" Vlad forks his eggs and pours ketchup on his bacon.

Dan smirks, "You did say _later_..." His fangs glinting from underneath the ghost's lips. "We can start training after you're fully rested. Besides," Dan looks down at Vlad's amulet, "it's not like we have anything planned for today." 

The Amulet of Mentis had changed over the course of two years, drastically so after he and Vlad had mated. What was once a necklace that look like rocks and string tied together had recently became a complex designed brass chain with an amethyst crystal hanging in the middle. The amulet still held the same power Vlad had at first seen, even after what Dan had gotten Vlad to do. The _renovation_ of the Masters' mansion in Wisconsin into the ghost zone was quite an amazing feat. Ensuring Clockwork or any other ghost can wouldn't track him down had proved to be useful on multiple occasions. And lets not forget the most important one...

 _Making Vlad my inseparable soul_ _mate._ Dan thought smiling at Vlad, watching the half ghost dump blobs of strawberry jam on his pancakes. _Then again it works both ways..._

With a quick twist of his head, Vlad flips his hair out of his face and greedily eats his pancakes and bacon. During his meal Vlad scratches his stomach, bringing the action to Dan's attention. Dan frowns noticing how much body weight the half ghost lost over the last three months, both in muscle and fat. And as the half ghost's mate it didn't suit well for Dan. "You need to eat more."

Vlad looks up from his plate, "I feel fine."

Dan shakes his head. "You remember how you were when we first met. Healthy, fit, and..." The ghost frowns his flaming white hair tame, matching with his emotional concern. "...You lost weight, you lost muscle. Remember it also affects your ghost side, making you weaker and frail." Dan leans closer to Vlad, blood red eyes connecting with aqua blue. "Don't you remember anything?"

Vlad swallows the food in his mouth and looks down to his plate. His mind turns up blank whenever he thinks of his past. Whatever past he may have had, was now lost to him. No matter how hard he tries to remember his thoughts goes to a bright white. May it be amnesia or a curse placed on him by another ghost that was beyond Vlad's years, he just...couldn't remember. "No, I don't." Vlad forks his pancakes, "All I remember is a sexy powerful ghost saving me from death." Vlad slowly eats his pancakes, licking his lips from the jelly escaping his mouth. He stares at Dan, flirting using only his body language; hooded eyes, lips moist from licking, shoulders hunched and angled, all in a seductive manner. After a loud swallow and a licking of his fingers, Vlad slowly forks another pancake, "Delicious..." He bites another pancake repeating the same process.

Dan growls at Vlad, "Hurry up and eat your food you tease."

Vlad chuckles at his mate's discomfort.

Time pass slowly in the ghost zone compared to that of the human's. To some ghosts it seems troublesome to have so much time at hand...

...to other ghosts with mates it was the ideal sex-utopia.

Dan teleports into a different bedroom with a readily made bed, Vlad in his arms. Both were swapping saliva through a heavy make out session; Vlad's legs wrapped around Dan's waist as hands grabs whatever he could in the ghost's white hair. Dan turns both his and Vlad's pants intangible and throws them to the side. Without clothing blocking his path, Vlad release his grip on Dan and quickly drops to his knees, swallowing Dan's dick the moment the large appendage came in hand. The ghost tries not to fuck the half ghost's mouth at that moment, knowing his mate won't like it one bit and call the whole thing off.

Vlad was a master, just like his surname, sucking Dan's cock. Dan could feel the heat and tight walls of the man's throat tightening around his cock every time Vlad swallows. He could feel large amounts of saliva coating his dick and the vibrations that rolls off his tongue. But the prize winner was the sight; no tears came to the man's face and his gagging reflex was under full control. The speed in movement which his head moves in and out of his pelvic area, the loud noises he make after every moan that comes from his throat, the spit and precum that leaks from the side of his mouth and down to his chin...

...beautiful.

Dan combs his fingers through Vlad's hair, coaxing the man to stop. "Get on the bed." 

Vlad does as he was told by his mate. He gets on his knees, back facing Dan, bends all the way down as both hands separates  his ass cheeks. He was holding open his hole for his mate to take. Dan couldn't help but smirk - smug, as he sees how used his mate's hole opens wide, like a gaping mouth begging hungrily for cock. If this wasn't a true sign of the body that says  _fuck me,_ then the world is a lie.  "Hurry," Vlad moans wiggling his hips in want.

Dan slowly takes his time, gripping his saliva covered eleven inch long and one half inch thick dick into one hand and Vlad's hip in another. Slowly easing his way into his panting mate much like their first time. "You want me to go fast or slow?" Dan was only half way in until he started fucking his mate at an agonizing leisurely pace...

...in...

...out...

...in...

...out...

The method continues repetitively, slowly making his way deeper centimeter by centimeter. "It's your choice love..." Dan hands tighten their hold on Vlad's hips, clamping down as any dominate would over  _their_  submissive, keeping him in place. Vlad couldn't move his hips even if wanted to; that's how much Dan has over him. It didn't take much for Vlad's sexual frustration to become a yearning deprivation as his mate slowly drilled into him with his thick hot rod.  It's been well over five minutes and Dan still haven't reach that bundle of nerves, feeling as though he still was half way inside. "Make your choice..." Dan leans over Vlad, lingering in place; an action beholding a sigh of power, control, strength of will, and support.

Vlad moans between pants, "Fast..." He completely relaxes his body, giving into his mate. Dan pulls out at the tip, waiting, "Please Dan, make it fast -," Dan shoves his entire manhood into Vlad's rectum balls deep. "AaaaH!"  

The bed shakes under Dan's powerful thrusts, bashing into the wall and cracking the wood in the frames, his fingernails biting into Vlad's skin. Vlad was screaming into the blanket, his body bouncing back and forth to Dan's rhythm as his mate pounded his ass into the spring bed. Vlad's drool escaping his mouth as his eyes roll up in euphoria. Every thrust from Dan was direct contact into that lovely sensation of cloud nine, elation, and more from both heat and power packed into one punch.

Dan changes their position, rolling to sit on the bed with Vlad in his lap. Being thankfully flexible, Dan continues to fuck his mate in that position, callous blue hands grabbing the lower parts of the thighs moving his mate's entire body up and down his prick. Vlad was flush against Dan, sweat lubricating the friction where back meets chest. Not wanting to fall forward Vlad clings to Dan's forearms with dear life, bouncing up and down while repetitively penetrated by the stronger of the two. 

"You like that, huh?" Dan growls in Vlad's ear, "You like it when I make you my bitch?" He goes to attack Vlad's neck, fangs piercing through skin.

"UH..." Vlad's nails drags down Dan's arms, leaving deep welts against blue skin. "Yes..." He leans his back into Dan's shoulder relishing his mate's vampiric actions. "Fuck me...fuck me..ah..." 

All movement cease...

Vlad goes slack...

......

"You did...not...just...cum..." Dan growls, his body tense.

Vlad tenses under his mate's voice. "I'm sorry."

Dan unceremoniously tosses Vlad off his lap and stands at the edge of the bed. "Get into position!" He ordered, pointing to the spot on the bed where it was leveled with his manhood as blood red eyes glows brightly in anger. 

Vlad crawls in front of his mate and then rolls onto his back, mouth wide open and tongue out as his head hung over the edge of the bed. Dan harshly twists his hands into Vlad's white hair and yanks his mate's head high enough for him to plunge his cock into Vlad's mouth. The moment his dick impaled to the back of Vlad's throat Dan's actions became relentless; both hands kept their iron grip on the back of Vlad's head and constrict around his throat. Dan was throat fucking Vlad. He fucked him with the same power, the same speed, the same aggression his always uses...

...It was punishment.

Vlad had cum without Dan's permission, without asking Dan for release. Vlad laid on his back taking his punishment from Dan and kneading his mate's balls at the same time, humming and licking his mate's large rod. Dan didn't pause in his thrusting, not giving his disobedient mate a chance of air. It was Vlad's duty now to make Dan cum, to attend only to his needs as his were already accomplished.

Dan fuck the shit out of Vlad's mouth. The bed was bashing against the wall, wood was creaking, drool and precum covering Vlad's face and soaking into his hair. He stops cock settled comfortably deep in Vlad's throat, balls resting on Vlad's face covering his nose. He keeps his pelvic in place as he leans over his mate and attends to Vlad's forgotten penis. He slowly licks the side and massage the base of the appendage with his hands. A few nips with his teeth, careful not to use his fangs. 

Vlad moans, still a mouth full of cock, and twirls his tongue around the shaft. Dan was taking his time, the longest time ever. His face red turning light blue in need of air. Black rings glow alight and shifts up and down his body, changing to his ghost half. His skin turns blue, long silver-white turns to a up swept black-white hair, and aqua blue eyes bleeds blood red. However, once the change was complete there was a weird tang of copper and ectoplasm suddenly in Plasmius' mouth.

... _Well, shit_...Vlad forgot about his fangs.

"Plasmius..." Dan slowly gets off his mate and looks down at him in the eyes. "You...bit me." He hisses in pain. Standing on his feet, his libido vanish up in smoke -gone, Dan goes intangible and removes his penis from Vlad's mouth.

Black rings appear around Plasmius, transforming back into his human half. He looks around the room searching for his mate. Dan becomes tangible once more and glares at Vlad, causing the half ghost to flinch. "I need to vent." Dan turns invisible and flies out of the room, leaving Vlad to his lonesome. 

Flying into their previous bedroom, Dan goes around and puts on his clothing.

Vlad looks out the window and sees Dan fly away from their mansion fully clothed. "I really screwed up this time." He says to an empty room, running his finger through his long locks. He sighs looking back towards the hall. "Might as well eat lunch." He puts his pants on and leaves the room, making his way to the kitchen.

* * *

 Dan flies through the ghost zone, anger planted permanently on his face. He needed to vent out his anger, his disappointment. Out of their two long years of being mates, never had Vlad _bit_ him and made him _bleed_. The moment Vlad transformed into Plasmius had been the most excruciating pain he'd ever felt in his entire life - in his existence! The only reason he didn't scream his mind out and panic was the fear of accidentally hurting Plasmius. Any ghost would take pride in taking care of their mate.

"And yet he bit me," Dan grumbles underneath his breath. "He bit me!"

He stops and look around, eyes zeroing in on a natural portal. He flies at full speed into the human world.

* * *

Vlad was sitting in one of many dens fully clothed. His hair pulled back in a loose pony tail at the nap of his neck. A black blazer fitting over a loose white non-tucked button up shirt, scrunched up on the forearms, and the Amulet of Mentis resting in sight around his neck. Slim blue jeans held up with a reversible belt and silver buckle. The bottom ends of the jeans were tucked inside dark brown Kimberland boots. One silver ring adorn his left hand and two silver rings on his right. Though you could not see them but he was also wearing matching socks and underwear. He looks up at the grandfather clock for the sixth time, reading four-fifty nine. His mate has been gone for over three hours. He frowns wondering how upset Dan really was. Usually the powerful ghost would curse him out then work out in the training room. 

_He slaps himself on the head, "God, I'm so stupid."_

_Ding-Dong!_ The door bells rings. 

"Who could that be?" Vlad looks up at the clock seeing the face saying five. "That's right, Fright Knight." Vlad gets off the couch to answer the door.

Ever since the day Vlad had first met Dan, the half ghost felt lonely. Not remembering anything, Dan took it upon himself to _re-_ introduce Vlad to some old friends. The first being Skulker and his girlfriend Ember. They were nice and kept him quite entertained, but the hunter always had this sad look in his eyes whenever he looked at Vlad. They barely talk whenever they are within each other presence. Except during their seasonal hunting, a sport they both held pride in with utmost enthusiasm.

Fright Knight was the second. The old ghost just first attacked Dan when they came into his territory, but stopped instantly the moment Vlad sucker punched him in the face and sent the ghost flying through three walls. After the initial shock and _re_ -introduction, both ghosts had came to terms shaking hands. Vlad enjoyed the knight's company more than Skulker's -he wouldn't admit it out loud, so much they're practically the best of friends the moment they met. However, they couldn't keep much contact with the knight due to Dan's possessiveness over Vlad and Fright's duty of guarding the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. Fortunately a recent solution came when Vlad had gotten - _ahem_ , "upset" about being left alone for far too long. So his mate scheduled a daily agenda for both Vlad and Fright to hang out, but only about three hours or so. Dan showed his possessiveness quite thoroughly.

Opening the door had welcomed Fright Knight and not far behind him his steed, Nightmare, enjoying the plush green grass in the front yard. The dark knight slightly bows to Vlad, "Good evening, Lord Plasmius. Is your mate, Lord Phantom home?" 

"No, so you can drop the formalities." Vlad smirks, liking Fright Knight's courtesy and civil behavior. "Ready to get your butt whipped?" Vlad challenges, crossing his arms. He sidesteps out of the way for his friend to enter inside.

Fright wipes his feet a the door mat and walks inside the mansion. "If I recall correctly, it was you who lost last game."

After Vlad close the door both Fright and Vlad walks inside the den. "Ha-ha-ha," Vlad smiles, "We shall see...we shall see. Hey, what do you think of marmalade, or jasmine tea?"

"I prefer green tea made by the traditional Japanese tea ceremony set, but I do love me some Chai. The spice gives the tea a wonderful scent. Perhaps you tried some?" Fright gives Vlad a side glace, watching Vlad's reaction carefully. In the past, before the asteroid, he and Vlad had enjoyed evenings in the Masters' garden drinking different kinds of tea. Homemade Chai tea was Vlad's favorite.

"I never heard of it. Tell me, how does one acquire tea?"


	3. The Life of Danny Phantom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even Danny Fenton, a.k.a. the world's known hero as Danny Phantom, has a life. But when that life is interrupted by his old nemesis, things go straight to hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pictures will come later.

Baby blue eyes look at the clock resting over the classroom door, seemingly ticking away slowly. The owner of the baby blues begin to bounce his leg underneath the desk. _Just one minute..._ He looks back at the front seeing Mr. Lancer underlining a date with white chalk. Grabbing his book, he slowly grips the edge his desk, ready to leave any second. _30 seconds..._ He looks around seeing a few other students in the classroom gaze at him, they too ready to pounce out of their seats. _10...9...8..._ He lifts himself halfway off the chair. _7...6...5...4..._ He throws his backpack on. _3...2..._ He leaps out of his chair.  _1!_

The end of school bell rings.

In a flash of white Danny Phantom appears in the middle of the classroom and Mr. lancer glares at the ghost teen, "Mr. Fenton!"

"Later, Mr. Lancer!" Danny turns intangible, flying through the wall and takes off down Casper High's hallway. He gets to his locker packing his backpack with books and other assorted items he placed in there.

"There he is!" Danny looks to the side catching sight of a crowd of teenagers, Paulina pointing and in the lead, rushing towards him. "Danny wait up!"

"Don't let him escape!" Danny looks the other way seeing Dash and his gang at him.

Danny rolls his eyes and turns invisible, unknown to the others, flies to through roof. Flying over the school, green neon eyes looks around. "Cost is clear," He spots Tucker and Sam walking down the street, just dodging the news vans and paparazzi. He flies down next to his friends and walks with them, transforming into his human half. Danny sighs with relief, glad his friends always had his back, especially since these last two years after the world learned of his true identity.

The trio had grown since their prepubescent years, landing straight into puberty. Danny at seventeen, Tucker is sixteen for the next two weeks, and Sam seventeen. Their personalities hadn't changed much and neither did their outfits. Tucker, the second tallest of the group, was sporting new tech on his person; self made touch screen pda, blue lanyard keychain with multiple keys and card holder, a utility belt filled with ghost fighting equipment, and behind the head headphones. His backpack developed more pockets -if you could believe it- containing school stuff and anti-ghost equipment.

Sam, now Danny's girlfriend for two years and shortest of the group, filled out beautifully as a woman. Her breast stick out more, her face full, hips more curved, and a fit athletic body that always held Danny's eyes. Yet being the Gothic _I hate society and any thing girly_ , she started wearing a black faux leather (a.k.a. "fake" leather; _ultra recyclo-vegetarian_ -remember) jacket and baggy purple jeans to hide her figure, throwing out her purple leggings and plaid black skirt. The combat boots and shirt had stayed the same as well as her hair; all thanks to Danny when he told her to  _"chill out"_  over her parents. She would've shaved off half her hair and gotten a tattoo on her arm; the ultimate act of rebellion. Sam's ghost fighting skills mastered in hand to hand combat and short to mid-range shooting distance with the training she received from Mrs. Fenton. So no matter the scenario she had Danny's back.

Danny grown as well, standing up to his father's shoulder's and tallest of the trio. Thanks to puberty, he has a rich deep smooth voice -as his mother complimented, that could match against Morgan Freeman's. Don't get him wrong, he's still growing...just not as quickly. He threw out most of his old clothes since his growth spurt. He wears the same brand of shoes and pants but only larger. The shirts he wears are doubled striped in the middle, with a short sleeved plaid green over-shirt. The two black faux leather bracelets on his right hand are a gift from his girlfriend. His hair grown out  _a lot_...to the point of forcing the teen to get his hair cut almost every week. His mother told him it had something to do with his ghost genes with his hair growing sporadically and ridiculously long. Shaving wasn't much of an issue...as of yet. His attacks had gotten stronger over the span of two years and discovered two new powers: ecto-telekinesis and ectoplasmic sensory.

He now has two years of training, two years of advancement with his ghost powers, and learned two abilities during those same two years...

And he still can't duplicate.

Sam frowns glaring at nothing in particular. "Seriously, it's been two years and the same thing happens every time. Don't you ever get tired of it?"

Tucker smiles, "Nah, he loves it. All the attention...all the _sexy_ ladies on you at every angle. Now, that's the life." He looks up to the sky, eyes in a dream like state.

"More like a game of tag, and I'm the only one that's not _it_." Danny gives a light chuckle. "But yeah, it does get tiring time to time. But not today - because today is FRIDAY!" He throws his hands in the air. "WOO! Man, just one more year and senior project and I am so out'ta here!"

"I'm guessing you've finally been accepted?" Tucker takes out his pda. "Which schools?"

"So far, just Twelve, but only three would accept my grades." Danny tugs his backpack higher on his shoulders, "Wisconsin University, Amity City College, and San Francisco State College. I was planning on starting small, but once I got the news from Wisconsin," He shrugs, "I'm not sure anymore."

"It's just _so_ stupid!" Sam looks at Danny, brows furrowed together. "Just because you're **half ghost** only twelve colleges will accept you?"

Danny sighs and stops. He grabs Sam's shoulders, turns her body around to face him. He smiles and grabs her face gently with both hands and leans down to her height. He tenderly lays his lips upon hers, bangs tickling her cheeks. Sam feels her breath leaving her body, her anger washing away with it. Her mind, calm and silent as Danny moved his lips upon her's. She hadn't realize she closed her eyes until she open them, starting into her boyfriend's beautiful baby blues. After the _long_ three second kiss, Danny hugs Sam close to his body smiling, "Sam, It's no big deal. If things come  _push-to-shove_ then I can always work with my parents on Fenton Works." He leans away a little and brushes her hair behind her ear. Sam blushes at the act of Danny fixing her hair. Both stare into one another's eyes sharing a silent moment.

"Ya know, I can just leave. No need for me being the third wheel." Tucker's voice rang in their minds causing them to look at their friend and Sam to blush in embarrassment.

"There's no need Tuck." Danny wraps his arm around Sam's waist and gives her a quick peck on the forehead. "So where do you guys want to eat? I'm starving!" He exaggerated, holding his stomach.

Tucker holds out his pda and points to the screen, "There's a restaurant called _Dinny's_ two blocks from where the Nasty Burger used to be."

"Nasty Burger, rest in peace our dear friend. Your delicious but super greasy fries shall always be remembered." Danny held his free hand against his heart, sad eyes and smile on his face.

Tucker wipes a faker tear out his eye, also holding a hand over his heart. "And your illegal burgers - which turned out to be horse meat, shall forever remain inside our bodies - a heart attack close to our hearts!"

"WHY?" Both said dramatically in unison, laughing at their inside joke.

Sam rolls her eyes, hands tucked in her jacket. "That place was begging to be shut down."

"Yeah," Tucker nodded smirking at Sam, "but it was the only place that cooked your veggie burgers."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Sam shivers with the thought of their long time adventure to find another fast food place that provide the same services as the Nasty Burger. Not one fast food restaurant in Amity Park serves vegetables and meaty burgers like the Nasty Burger; trying to find a replacement hang out spot. Now they were resolved to hanging out at cafes and eating at chain restaurants. The villainy of it all!

Rounding around the corner Danny's ghost sense goes off. All three turn to look down the street, hearing the loud motor of a motorcycle, to see Johnny 13 and his girlfriend Kitty riding on his bike.  Shadow was no where in sight, most likely hidden in Johnny's shadow. Spotting the three teens, Johnny comes to a stop next to Danny and his friends, "Sup champ! How's it hangin'?"

"Hey Danny." Kitty waves to Danny.

"Nothing much," Danny waves at Kitty and looks at the wrist bands both Johnny and Kitty were sporting. They were _ghost passes_ , tracking devices, handed out by the government to peaceful ghosts that wanted to spend more time in the human world rather than the ghost zone. It changes in color according to how much ectoplasm a ghost was currently emitting. Their's were both green, so they were fine. "Where you guys heading?"

Kitty smiles, "There's a rock concert in the dessert about two hours out from here. You guys heard of _Drowning Lake_?"

Sam's eyes went wide with a smile on her face, "Hell yeah! When does it start?"

"Tonight at ten, everyone's invited!" Johnny revs his bike. "See ya when ya get there!" They take off down another street, green flames leaving the exhaust pipes.

Danny and Tucker looks at Sam, " _Drowning Lake_?"

Sam stands off to the side and looks at both the boys. "How can you guys not know about Drowning Lake?" Both Danny and Tucker just blink. "Ugh, two years ago they were famous for playing songs for all the popular zombie and vampire movie. Now they're at the top billboards and play at random concerts _along side_ Humpty Dumpty. How could you never heard about them?"

Danny scratches the back of his head, "Ghost fighting..?"

Tucker just points to his pda, "Tech geek..?" He goes back to his device.

"Right," Sam crosses her arms, "Because I'm the only _Goth_ in the group."

"Dude," Tucker holds up his pda showing Danny the screen. "This isn't your everyday concert. This is like the battle of the bands, or super rock out festival!"

Danny stares at the small screen, "The Super Radio Concert. Featuring all your favorite rock and metal bands. Pay at the door prices of only $12. Cool!" He frowns, seeing the location. "That's _way_ more than two hours. I swear  -ghosts have no sense of time."

"We can take the Specter Speeder. It's way faster than driving." Sam suggested, "With your parents permission of course."

"Wait, what if a ghost attacks while we're gone?" Tucker ask. 

All three looks at one another smiling, "Valerie!" They said in unison.

* * *

Valerie Gray, widely known as the Red Huntress, had changed as well always reminding Danny of  _that_  future. Besides the height difference, Valerie almost look like her alternate self. She now dresses in more fitting fighting clothes, getting rid of the skirt for orange shorts, and the shirt for a long sleeved yellow midriff. She doesn't wear jewelry and her old headband, saying  _'they'll just get in the way'_ when fighting ghosts.

She was at Axton laboratories, working with her father studying ghost. Her father behind the desk typing away at the computer screen. She was standing next to her father, acting as body guard in her Huntress outfit with a weapon at hand, watching the doctors and scientists alike inside a glass room with an active ghost tied down to the operation table; one of the lesser types. They were in the middle of injecting a ghost with a pink serum until her phone starts ringing. Her father looking up from the computer screen to his daughter.

She takes out her phone, "It's Danny," her father nods and goes back to the computer. Valerie answers the phone, "What do you want _Phantom_?"

"Hey Val, can you do me a favor?" Danny ask calmly over the phone.

"Does it have anything to do with you being _reckless_ , or an accident _you_ caused?" She frowns, remembering every time he asked her a favor. It was always something to do with his powers or a ghost he crossed paths with, only to end up horribly wrong and Valerie justified with ripping out chunks of Phantom hair by how angry she was. It's not like the teen was going bald anytime soon.

Don't get her started on the Technus " _accident"_ incident. She's still feeling the pain in her arm.

Danny chuckles on the phone, "No, actually I was hoping you take charge of Amity Park while I go over to this rock festival with Sam and Tucker." A pause on the phone, "I swear nothing bad like last time, just me and the guys hanging out."

Valerie thinks for a while, "Hmm..." A smile forms on her face. "Okay, on one condition. I want a tour of the Ghost Zone."

"Okay-

"To the Forbidden Zone."

"No deal." His voice stern over the phone.

"Why not? Sam and Tucker gotten that far!" Valerie yelled into the phone, causing her father to look at her.

"Because we are _allowed_ to." Danny sighs, "Who knows what happen if I'd taken you. Now, I'm not saying I'm _not_ willing. It's just the danger there is far beyond _any_ of my powers. Getting too close to a ghost's territory can start a fight."

"Are you saying the world's most **respected** _half_ _ghost_ can't take me to the  Forbidden Zone?" She hissed into the phone upset.

"It's _forbidden_ for a reason." Danny sighs, "I can introduce you to the guys in the Far Frozen, and maybe a few other zones."

Valerie remains silent and sighs, "Fine...and another Fenton Thermos."

"What happened to the last one?"

"Dad broke it," she glares at her father.

"Alright, thanks Val!" Danny cheers over the phone.

"Whatever, just keep to your promise." She hangs up the phone.

"Sir, come look at it!" Both Valerie and her father runs up to the glass watching the progression of the serum. The ghost seemed sleepy, exhausted almost, its body no longer glowing green but shedding a dark gray. 

"What's wrong with it?" Valerie asks the scientist.

"It's dying, m'am." The guy checks the vitals. "And rather slowly..."

Her father sighs rubbing his eyes, "Another failed attempt. Lets call it a day, fellas." 

* * *

 Wanting to get ready for the festival, the trio decided to split their own ways and agreed to get food on their way to the desert. They would drop off their belongings and Danny would meet up with them driving the Specter Speeder. If his parents would let him that is...

Danny opens the front door to his home, "I'm home!"

"Hey, there son!" Jack shouts from the kitchen. Danny's father, Jack Fenton, was eating a bowl full of fudge. "Wanna try out my new invention?" He points his chocolate covered spoon.

Danny smiles at his father, "Sure, where is it?" He looks around, curious.

"It's in the lab with your mother." He puts the spoon down beside the bowl as both son and father make their way down to Fenton Labs.

In the middle of the room was a large glass cube attached to an unknown machine giving the invention a look between a giant hamster ball and an automatic mixing bowl. Danny's senses tells him it was another trap and not a weapon that could kill him. Lights of blue and green flows through the machinery with your typical Fenton logo on the side. His mother was at the side checking the computer's systems, most likely checking her husbands calculations.

"Hey, mom!" Danny hugs her from behind.

"Hey, sweetie...You ready to test out the new invention?" She smiles at her son as he pulls away from the hug.

Jack strikes a pose and points to the machine. "I call it the Fenton-Rabbit Trap. I was going to call it Fenton-Rat Trap at first, but decided to go with a friendlier name." He pats the glass, "It's made to contain even the most powerful of ghosts! Wanna give it a try?"

"Sure, thing," Danny gets into crouching position, "I'M GOING GHOST!" Two white rings appear around his body separating and and transforming into the famous Danny Phantom; hair a snow white, neon green eyes, the DP insignia on his chest, and his black and white Hazmat suit in place.

Maddie walks up to her son and places her hand on his shoulder, slightly flinching from the cold temperature that was her son. "Now Danny, remember things could go wrong and the machine may malfunction. I just want to make sure you want to do this." His mother concern over son. She would always ask her son the same question before any of their invention testing, not wanting to pressure her son into doing something he did't want to do.

"Don't worry mom I can handle it." Danny gives his mom a small smile. "Let me know when you guys have the trap ready." He flies above the machine and enters the glass cube. 

Maddie pushes one button, closing the top of the cage. Danny settles himself in the middle of the small room, hovering inches off the floor. Jack slowly turns the dial, careful not to turn it to high. He nods to his wife and Maddie pushes another button and speaks into a microphone. "How do you feel sweetie?" 

"Fine," He goes up to the wall and touches the glass. "I don't feel any different." His voice echoes in the small room.

"Try charging an ecto-ray." She instructed to her son.

Danny gathers energy into his hands, but stops as he feels his energy being sapped away. "Huh?" He charges up more energy gathering a steady amount of energy. "Okay, now what?"

"Try to break out and don't hold back!" His father shouts with enthusiasm.

Danny starts blasting away at the glass with normal ectorays. They did nothing to the glass, just evaporates once it makes contact; not even ricochet. He then began using his ice powers, thinking he could shatter the glass. Blasting one large ray hits the glass, freezing the spot he shot. He pulls back his fist only to stop when he saw the ice melting away in seconds. He frowns thinking of another way to bust the glass. An idea comes to mind and he looks to his parents. "You guys might want to step back! I'm going to use my ghost wail."

Both of them back away from the machine.

Danny hovers in place gathering energy inside himself, his body starts to glow green and eyes neon blue. He takes a deep breathe leaning back and then-

**_WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..!_ **

The Fenton-Rabbit Trap shakes, systems skyrocketing from absorbing so much ectoplasm. The computer screen fazes in and out. However, the outside stayed the same and unmoved by Danny's powerful ghostly wail. Maddie had became worried while Jack was trying his best to keep his excitement down. Danny felt his energy draining faster than he expected. His hair changes back to black, the third sign of energy exhaustion. He stops his wail, feeling dizzy and tired. Once he got his bearings, his hair turns back white and his eyes widens in shock from the Fenton-Rabbit Trap. "Nothing worked?" Danny was impressed.

"Yes!" Jack throws his arms into the air. "It works!" He runs over to the computer and pushes the green button opening the hatch at the top. Danny flies out of the trap and lands before his parents, transforming back into his human self. "What do you think son? Amazing isn't it?" He wraps his arm around his son. "Well, I got fudge to eat!" He rushes up stairs.

"What's it made of?" Danny presses his hand back on the glass, feeling attached to the contraption.

"It's metallic glass layered with sensitive neuron ecto-absorbents." Maddie explains proud of their work. "It's connected to an ecto-converter, so the more energy a ghost emits the stronger the containment. The left over energy will be recycled into pure ectoplasm. It's all controlled by this dial," shows the nob on the side of the machine with three icons to show the levels of energy; green, yellow and red. The machine was currently in the yellow zone, a bar away from red. Next to it was three tubes containing pure ectoplasm.

"Is that...mine?" Danny points to the two full tubes.

Maddie looks where he was pointing. "Wow, that's a lot!" She ejects one of the tubes holding the ectoplasm and observes the pure ectoplasm inside. "I knew you were powerful but not this much. I can't wait to study its molecular structure and find ways to-!" She sees the look on her son's face, criticism, watching her fawn over _his_ ectoplasm. "Sweetie what I meant was-

He holds up his hand, interrupting her, "It's alright mom." He smiles at her. "You have my blessing."

Smiling to her son, Maddie kisses him on the forehead, "Oh, thank you sweetie - but don't tell your father."

"Sure thing, mom." He looks to the side nervous. "Hey, uh, mom...do you mind if I take the Specter Speeder. Me and my friends want to got to this rock concert out in the dessert."

"Okay, just make sure you come back before morning." Maddie walks over to the bench on the far wall, placing the tube canister next to the rack of beakers. She activates the computer monitors and types away, 

Danny walks to the back of the lab and hops in the Specter Speeder. Flipping the switch and grabbing the steer, Danny lifts the the vehicle into the air. "Later, mom!" Danny uses his intangibility on the Specter Speeder and flies through the building, taking the vehicle over the Ops center. With a steer of the wheel, Danny drives to his friend's place.

* * *

"Check mate," Vlad moves the bishop on the chess board, trapping his opponent's king. "Best three out of five?"

Fright Knight smirks underneath his helmet,"You've gotten better. Or are you starting to remember?" He resets the board taking his pieces and placing them back in their positions.

Vlad shakes his head, "I wish...maybe it's one of those, uh...natural instinct type get downs. You know, when the mind forgets but the body remembers?" He places his queen next to his king.

"Body Memory?" Fright Knight suggested.

"Something closer - ah, cellular memory!"

"I'm guessing you've been up to your reading?" Fright raises his eyebrows watching Vlad.

"Does manga count?"

Fright sighs, "If only you read something more serious." He shakes his head.

"Dean Koontz?"

"Non-fictional..." Once the board was set, Fright pours himself some tea and sips from his cup.

"I have been reading _Karma Sutra_ ," Fright chokes on his tea, "Quite an interesting read. Did you know the human body can bend the arms from front to back with the fingers interlocked." Vlad smirks moving his knight out, "I tried it with Dan and-

"Manga does count - if it gets you to stop talking about such _intimate_ scenarios." Fright touches his forehead. He moves his pawn two spaces.

"I knew you would see it my way." Vlad moves his pawn.

"Your manipulation skills hasn't changed, regardless of your amnesia." He lead his bishop to the middle of the board. "I'm starting to believe you're just pretending this whole thing."

"I'm not sure myself." Vlad moves another pawn. "Have we ever had sex before?" The knight's eyes opens wide, "I'll take that as a _no_."

"Where has this come about?"

"Nothing-nothing!"

"Plasmius!?"

 


	4. That's impossible...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny and friends are having a great time, while Vlad falls into depression...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied art works will not be coming soon. I'm in school and right now I'm writing stories between study time and homework. SIgh...the life of a college student.

The Specter Speeder flies over the Texas Border, the sun already setting into the distance. Sam, being the only one in the group with a driver's license, drives the vehicle as Danny and Tucker sat in the passenger seats telling jokes and silly events that happened in their life. Events which happened during the times the trio wasn't together. Even if they were thick as thieves, their responsibilities in life had slowly been driving them apart.

Tucker is still the youngest mayor of Amity Park and a Casper High student, in turn only to have his free time during the weekends. Sam was studying abroad and working into taking over his parents' business, of course it was stealing away any serious 'Danny time' she had with her boyfriend. The only times she was with her best friends were the weekends, during ghost fighting, or Tucker's office hours whenever she had a break. Danny of course was still protecting Amity Park from ghost attacks, and playing peace keeper when the situation calls. If ghost patrolling wasn't eating up his time, then it was his homework stacked on top of three more stacks of homework with training time so little in between.

But now they have time to relax and hang out just like old times. Valerie had taking over ghost duty for Danny, homework be damned. Tucker had finished all his homework and mayor meetings for the next three weeks, leaving whatever else to his secretary. Sam had her weekends free until her parents had something else in mind for her to do.

Sam smiles at Danny's story having heard it already while Tucker laughs his guts out. "So Box ghost -get this- empties the boxes full of  _dangerous_  kitchen knives and throws the boxes at me.  _The boxes!_ I mean -c'mon I get that you're the BOX GHOST - BEWARE," Danny waves his hands dramatically, "but can you be any dumber than that?"

Tucker wipes a tear out of eye from laughing so much, "What's next, a room full of  _bubble wrapped_  glass?"

All three laugh.

"Alright Sam, it's your turn." Danny points out.

Sam smirks, "So remember  _why_  my parents pressed so hard on me about taking over the family business." Danny and Tucker nods. "Well...mom's pregnant."

Tucker leans forward eyes wide, "Dude, no way! I thought your dad is sterile." 

Danny smiles, "Is it a boy or girl?"

Sam holds up two fingers.

"TWINS!" Both Tucker and Danny shout.

"Yep, one boy and one girl." Her smile reaches her eyes. "But they are my half-siblings. Mom cheated on dad and slept with some random guy, but I don't believe that last part." She waves her hand in the air as though it was something meaningless. Seeing the look in her boyfriend's eyes, she answers his unsaid question. "Dad doesn't mind. He's just upset about mom not telling him before she tried. So once junior one and two are born, mom and dad will  _have_  to get off my back...  _and_  I can go into any career I want."

Tucker goes to his PDA. "I got to congratulate the pregnancy."

Danny leans back smiling, "So... _big sister_ , huh?"

"Ew, don't call me that!" Sam punches Danny's knee, the hybrid fake flinching in pain. "And don't compare me to Jasmine."

"Geez, I thought you got over that."

"It's  **Jasmine**."

Sam enunciate every syllable of said female's name with so much spite Danny quickly changes the subject. "So, er, Tucker what about you?"

"Hm..." He looks up from his PDA. "Besides the usual Danny Phantom fan mail," Sam scoffs, "some song artist ask for you to be in their music video. Heck, even a producer came in the office last week talking about making a movie about you. I think his name was  _Butch Hartman_."

"Never heard of the guy." Danny replies.

Sam brows knitted, "Isn't that the guy who worked on that  _one_  kid tv show...about a kid and...some fairies?"

Danny sits up, "Hold on you mean the kid dressed in pink with the absent minded parents and an evil baby sitter?"

Tucker snaps his finger, "That's the one!"

"AH- I love that show!" He leans back. "But I'm not one for movie acting. Leave that to the professionals."

Tucker goes back to his PDA. "Too bad." He taps on the screen at a dazzling speed, "I'm sending him dismissal of proposal." A beat in silence. "And...done." His PDA beeps, "Crap, I got a call." Tucker unbuckles his belt and climbs over the seats. He walks to the back of the Specter Speeder, talking on his phone in a professional manner. It felt taboo to both Danny and Sam to hear their best friend speak with is 'business voice'.

Danny snuggles up to Sam, smiling. "My ghosts senses are  _tingling_." He jokes and kisses Sam on her collar bone. "Love you!"

"Love you too, goofball." She smiles at Danny's affections.

Danny hums against Sam's shoulder. "You need to get used to my sister." He felt Sam tense in anger underneath him. Danny wraps his arm around her waist, still snuggled against her. "She's family and soon to be your _sister-in-law_."

"I'm trying my best not killing her on sight." She growls, "Damn over-protective, ghost envious, psycho, son-of-a--

"Hey-hey-hey," Danny kisses her neck, and then her chin. He trails kisses up to her forehead and then back down. "Hey, I agree she went a little too far but she does have a point."

"You always take her side."

"But I will always love you."

"Ugh, we're so sappy."

"The delicious kind."

Sam flicks Danny forehead, "Goofball."

Tucker climbs back over the passenger seat, catching the sickening lovable display. "Really guys?" He takes the the seat belt and drags it over himself, buckling in.

Danny smiles, "Aw, Tucker feels left out." Danny got that look in his eyes.

Tucker knew that look. It was the look when Danny had something playful yet sinister in mind. "No, Danny. Bad Danny!" Danny creeps closer to Tucker, causing his dark skinned best friend to lean away. "Sam help!"

Sam turns on the radio, increasing the volume. "What's that Tucker? I can't hear you!"

"Ah!" Tucker puts his arms in front of him, trying to put distance between him and his best friend. "Sam!" Tucker tries to shove Danny away, but to no avail the half ghost's arms wraps around him. "No, Sa-Bad Danny!  _NO!_  Stranger Danger! I need an adult!" Tucker couldn't escape, with the seat belt keeping him in place and Danny being stronger than him, he was fighting a losing battle. "Sam, come get your boyfriend!"

"Don't fight the love!" Danny kisses Tucker on the cheek, earning himself over-dramatic fake belching sounds from the youngest of the group. Danny then kisses his neck and ear, getting every opening on his face he could reach. After the fifteenth kiss Tucker gives in, no longer fighting his best friend. Danny then just turns to snuggle against his best friend, rubbing his face against Tucker's. "Love you, Tucker!"

"Why me?" Tucker whines. "You're evil. You're both evil!"

"Love you too, Tucker!" Sam smiles.

" _Oh_ ,  **now**  you can hear me?" He tries to wiggle out of hybrid's tight grip.

"What? You want more love from Danny?" Sam smirks, "Danny I think he wants another kiss!"

"Wha-no, I-ah!" Tucker goes through another onslaught of kisses from Danny. Sam laughs at her friend's  _loving_  agony. 

* * *

Vlad waves good-bye to Fright Knight, watching the ghost take off. Once the ghost was out of sight, Vlad closes the door and sighs. "I guess I'm alone again." He walks down the empty halls, hearing his foot steps echo throughout the household. "Might as well get in some practice."

Vlad walks into the training room, transforming into his alter-ego Plasmius, "Start simulation forty-six."

A computerized voice calls through the room. "SIMULATION FORTY-SIX WILL BEGIN IN FIVE...FOUR...THREE...TWO...ONE!"

Twenty small discs pop from the floor in seconds and shoots glowing red needles at Plasmius. Plasmius flies out of the way and becomes invisible, causing the discs to stop shooting and use scanners to detect Plasmius. Quickly, Plasmius kicks four discs hard enough for them to explode, and then punch two.

In this simulation the discs can calculate any battle formation and detect high levels of ectoplasm the moment it appears. The needles they use are ecto-suppressants, meant to knock out any ghost but not kill. Taking too many hits will force Plasmius back into his human form, ending the simulation as failure. If he were to use ecto-blasts the discs will attack knowing his position. If he stood still in one place, they will triangulate his location and attack. He has to use stealth and cunning in this exorcise, seeing this simulation as a 'what if' event. So far Vlad had failed this simulation too many times to count, and he wants to make his mate proud.

The discs calculated Plasmius' attack and begins shooting at the invisible hybrid. Plasmius saw an opening and kicks two more discs. He flinches when he felt a needle embed in his left arm, quickly removing the object before the serum took affect. The discs  _"saw"_  the needle being pulled out and fires at where Plasmius floats. Plasmius flies behind two discs, causing the other discs to destroy the two. He felt three needles in his leg and two in his back. Plasmius loses altitude in the air, the first sign of the serum. "Shit!"

The discs corners him and fires twelve more into his body.

Vlad's invisibility drops, and then transforms back into his human side. "Fuck me." He falls to the floor with a loud thud, a few needles digging deeper into his skin. He hisses in pain, "Forgot about the sound detectors." He pulls out the needles one at a time, knowing the simulation had ended and the discs going back to their proper places. Vlad limps his way out of the training room, knowing the needles in his leg may have hit a vital part in his body. "I'm going to need tweezers and stitches for this." He observes his wounds, seeing one of the needles bent half way into his flesh.

* * *

Sam pays for the tickets as Danny and Tucker follows close behind her. Once inside, Tucker buys three t-shirts for him and his friends, each according to their size and gender. Danny pays for the food and drinks; him having a burger, Sam drinking three bottles of orange juice, and Tucker eating five kebabs minus the vegetables. With thirty minutes to kill, the trio went through the crowd in search of Kitty and Johnny 13. It wasn't until Danny was bombarded with hugs by Shadow and Johnny that they found them. They chatted away, talking about events in the ghost zone and the new ghost law starting in Amity Park.

Music starts to play in the distance. Danny holding tight of Sam's hand. "C'mon guys, they're starting!" All six moved with the crowd, making their way to the near front and watching a band play two rock songs; a warm-up performance to get the crowd hyped. Then the real bands started playing songs, from classic rock to satanic metal the crowd just went wild. Danny was starting to feel his throat parch up as Tucker gave up shouting an hour ago. Sam and the other three ghosts still full of energy. Soon Humpty Dumpty was on stage play their top two songs and ending with one of their newer ones.

After thirty seconds of the last song, the bass player walks up to the mic and speaks, "Now we have a special song for the world's greatest hero." The drummer starts banging away on the set. "DANNY PHANTOM!"

Danny felt himself stun into silence, as his friends hug him and the crowd goes extra wild. "No...fucking...way..."

The lead singer takes the microphone off the stand and starts vocalizing, "Wooooooooo-!" The band plays an upbeat rhythm and heart rushing beat. "He's gonna catch'em all cause he's-

-DANNY PHANTOM!" The entire band shouted, excited to play the song just as the crowd was.

The lead singer continues, "He's a ghost with snow white hair _-and_   glowin' green eyes~ He could walk through walls, disappear and fly~ In a black and white suit~ With ice powers to boot~ He stops all the evil and saves the world~ Both here on Earth and the underworld~ Because he's here to fight for-

"-ME AND YOU!" The band begins to slow down in rhythm.

"Come on everybody-say it with me!" The lead singer raises his arm into the air. "He's gonna catch'em all cause he's-

" **DANNY PHANTOM!** " The entire crowd shouts.

"He's gonna catch'em all cause he's-

" **DANNY PHANTOM!** "

"He's gonna catch'em all cause he's-

" **DANNY PHANTOM!** "

"Yeah!" The lead singer continues on with the song, the rhythm picking back up again.

As Danny listens to his favorite band play and realizes the song was basically a telling of all his heroic deeds. Well, backwards in chronological order. From fighting the Lunch Lady to Pariah Dark and finally to Plasmius' end and saving the world from the asteroid, making small little jokes in how he defeated every ghost. The  _"Tin can man with Fright as his only might"_   line had Danny laughing in thought of Fight Knight. It was questionable in how much they knew about his life, but not once had they mention he was half ghost.

"He's hybrid-a human and a ghost~ A person everyone loves the most~ Danny always knew what he had to do~ He's here to fight for-ME AND YOU!" Never mind then. Danny stands corrected.

The crowd goes wild again with the chorus. "He's gonna catch'em all cause he's-

" **DANNY PHANTOM!** "

"He's gonna catch'em all cause he's-

" **DANNY PHANTOM!** "

"He's gonna catch'em all cause he's-

" **DANNY PHANTOM!** "

"Yeah! Thank You Colorado!" The lead singer was sweating like crazy and struggling for air as much as his band mates, but the smile on their faces said the complete opposite. Almost looking as if they were willing to play another song. The band leaves the stage as the next one comes up, the crowd cheering everlasting even once they left.

Danny still couldn't put his hands down after that song. He can even feel tears prick at the corners of his eyes. "HUMPTY DUMPTY!" He feels Johnny messing up his hair and his girlfriend kissing his cheek. Shadow then picks him up and twirls around, all six of them happy and hyped up after the last song. 

Once the next band started playing, Shadow had put Danny back to his feet. Neither Danny and his friends had ever heard of the next band that came up on stage, but they played with just much excitement as any of the bands -if not better. They were rounding on the climax, the band playing faster and the lead singer banging his head not once signing. The stage lights flashing sporadically in red and white.

Danny felt his ghost sense go off, the blue mist leaving his mouth. "Really?" He looks to his friends, all knowing what Danny's ghost sense meant that a ghost was nearby. Most likely to cause trouble.

They all look around trying to spot the ghost. "Look!" Kitty points up in the air.

Danny looks up seeing a natural ghost portal opening behind the band on stage. The lights darken to near non-visibility, giving whatever ghost that had just left the portal an epic entry with heavy metal music. Fire erupts on the stage in flashy columns, revealing the ghost to have a black and white outfit on and the familiar "DP" insignia.

"Oh, no." Danny heard Tucker speak over the silencing crowd. "Tha-That can't be!"

The drummer started the solo, the guitarist keeping the same pace and bass gone silent. The fire starts to go crazy with red lights flashing on and off. Dan Phantom slowly walks out on the stage, a evil smile on his face. With the music still giving the evil ghost an epic entry, Dan charges red energy in his hands as his red eyes glowing brighter. Without warning Dan unleashes his ghostly wail.

Danny pulls up a large shield, protecting the majority of the crowd from the powerful waves. The band wasn't so lucky, all were on their knees holding their ears close. The stage begins to collapse not able to handle much vibration the ghost was dishing out. Dan stops his wail, feeling the abuse waste of energy. He flies up into the air, not wanting to get hit by the debris.

Danny takes his stance, "I'm going ghost!" Two white rings travel up and down his body, transforming into his ghost form. "You guys get the people to safety, I'll deal with Dan!" Danny flies into the air hearing the people cheer for Phantom, whistles and shouts calling below him:

"Kick his ass!"

"Go Phantom!"

"Go, Danny Phantom!"

Once Danny flew up Tucker, Sam, Kitty, Johnny, and Shadow went to work, splitting up to cover more ground. Johnny flies up to the band members on the stage and quickly gets them out before the stage completely collapses. Kitty goes back stage and helps escort everyone to safety. Sam and Tucker dealt with the crowd, telling them they need to leave or Phantom wouldn't be able to stop the ghost if they got in the way. Shadow, unable to speak, scares all the vendors into running away from the battle.

Danny flies in mid-air, face to face with his evil future self, Dan Phantom. "I locked you away in the Fenton Thermos. How did you get past Clockwork?" Danny was tense, his gloved hands clenching, unsure how to handle the situation that is his enemy.

Dan's eyebrow lifts in curiosity and then smiles evilly, "Wouldn't you like to know." Dan turns invisible, presence completely hidden.

Danny looks around, startled by the action. Never had Dan bothered to go invisible or even fight him in the state. He turns around looking for any sign of where Dan may have gone. A laugh is heard close to his left ear, and Danny swings in that direction. There was nothing there but air. "Damn it, come out and fight me!"

"Why?" 

Danny flinches backward, feeling the hot breath on his cheek. 

"This is much more entertaining." The voice was circling him.

Danny takes a random shot and swings to his left.

"You call that a punch." Danny swings at the voice but only hitting air. "This is a punch." Danny keels over feeling something similar of two cars hitting his intestines. He then feels the same hit to his kidneys and right cheek. "You make it so easy!" Danny felt his hair yanked, pulling his head back and then a harsh blow to his esophagus. Danny was choking for air, a natural reaction even though he didn't need to breath in this form. 

"Bastard!" Danny chokes out, hearing the ghosts amused laugh.

"What's the matter  _daddy_? Don't like to play with me?" The voice moves from one ear to the other.

Danny flinches. Never had Dan called him that, or anything of the like. Something was wrong...very wrong. The Dan he remembers never fought with cunning stealth, he never called him by family name, and this ghost was more playful than he last remembered. It was almost as if Dan was a completely different-

He felt something holding his arms back and holding his legs in place. Danny tries to struggle only to hear multiple laughs echo one after another. Danny was not only fighting Dan while invisible, but the ghost had his clones held him in place.

One, two, three, four...

Danny felt his insides ready to explode as four quick punches were delivered to his abdominal. He was ready to puke even, and felt his body giving out in the fight. Danny felt something holding his chin up, "No-no. Don't faint on me know  _Daniel_ , we're just getting started. We have so much to catch up on  _dad_." Danny flinches again, again not knowing why the ghost calls him that. That moment of worry fled the second another punch was delivered to his face. 

After the people was far enough away, Sam and Tucker looks up to where Danny was and saw him twitching in place, Dan no where in sight. "Where did he go?" Tucker felt himself asking.

Sam frowns. Something wasn't right on how Danny stayed in place. "What's wrong with Danny?"

Kitty and Johnny flies next to Sam and Tucker. Sam rushes to the two ghosts, "Can you guys fly me to the Specter Speeder. There's weapons we could use!" Kitty grabs Sam as Johnny got Tucker both flying quickly back to the vehicle.

Dan was enjoying himself, misplacing anger on the young half ghost. Punch after punch, laugh after laugh, Dan knew he was going home with a smile on his face after this. The teen was bloody all over with ectoplasm; lip cut, clothes torn, body limp, bruises forming wherever he punched, and...he was growing bored. Dan stops punching and becomes visible. He sees Danny was clinging onto that last bit of energy so he wouldn't transform. 

"You're such a disappointment." Dan recalls his clones, absorbing them back into his body. He grabs Danny by the neck, wondering what he wanted to do next. 

Danny opens his eyes, not knowing he had them closed. His sight was spinning, blurry and dark. Once he felt the world start balancing itself out, he catches his enemy's red eyes, confused. They just hang there in the air in silence, eyes connecting with one another. Danny felt pulled, hypnotized, by his dark alternate self. It was...strange.

Dan's eyes narrow, "I was never in a thermos."

Danny's eyes flew wide open at Dan's statement. His thoughts running wild at what Dan had meant, -- _Never in a Thermos? But that would mean- no, I caught Dan. I saw it! Both Sam and Tucker! He was in Clockwork's tower. If he was never in a Thermos then that would mean...No...That's impossible...It couldn't be! Unless..._

Dan looks down to the earth and snapped Danny out of his musing. "Have a nice fall." Next, it was far too fast for Danny to register, but he felt his body plummet and connect with something hard. Then he saw dust and darkness covering his sight. Soon, he couldn't hold onto his ghost form but he held on a bit longer, worried Dan might have came after him to finish the job. He felt weight stacked on top of weight piing on top of him. Danny couldn't hold onto his ghost form and lets go, two white rings moving up and down over his body before he fell out of consciousness.

* * *

Vlad was laying in bed half naked and playing with the amulet around his neck. He was only in his underwear, waiting for his mate to come back home, but there was no sign of his return. After eight hours and his mate was no where in sight, Vlad was starting to think he would never come back. He rolls over in bed and then implants his face in the pillows. 

Quiet sobs can only be heard by the owner.


	5. The Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan returns home and tries to make Vlad happy, Danny has to tell his parents about Dan...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this chapter seems a bit rushed, I'm willing to go back to fix a few things -but, hey...college student.

Danny had crashed into the earth like a meteorite, hitting polls, wires, and the stage itself until he was buried meters underground. The unstable and crumbling stage finally falls down. Poles breaks and bend under heavy weight and Danny's collision, causing all the stage lights and wiring to fall, shatter, and break. The large screens serving as the background on the stage shatter as the cable supporters gives into the weight and snaps. An explosion of fire and dust erupts from the backstage, spreading like wildfire. Everything is reduced to fire and debris.

Dan laughs at the pile of debris and fire, proud of the destruction he'd caused. "Now this is fun!" He stops laughing as his senses starts to tingle a bit. "The portal," He flies closer to the portal, seeing the swirl of green slowly begins to close. He was within reach, a foot away, only to be stopped by the Specter Speeder running into his side. "Ah!" He goes soaring off course.

Sam picks up the Fenton Bazooka, "Tucker take the wheel!" She points the gun out the window and fires at Dan in large beams of green.

Sensing the danger, Dan stops himself in mid-flight and pulls up a red ghost shield. The blasts evaporating against the surface. Dan looks over past the Specter Speeder and sees the portal slowly closing. He needed to distract the teens and get to the portal before it closes. With quick thinking he smiles, "You should check on your _hero_! I think he may be dying!"

Sam's eyes pop open. "Oh-no,Danny! Tucker turn around!" Tucker quickly swerves the Specter Speeder around and heads off to where Danny was last seen in the debris and fire.

Dan flies toward the portal, having an open path with the teen hunters out of his way and distracted. He stops before it, seeing he wouldn't be able to fit. With a clam demeanor, he charges green ectoplasm in his hands and sticks them into the shirking swirl of green. The portal was at a near close until it felt Dan's energy, instantly opening big enough for the ghost to move through. Once the portal was big enough, Dan quickly flies through and both the portal and ghost vanishes in thin air.

* * *

Sam and Tucker leaps out the Specter Speeder and rushes to the debris and fire. Johnny and Kitty were going though the wreckage as Shadow stayed far away due to his weakness to light. The two teens call out their best friend's name, tears threatening to fall:

"Danny!"

" _Danny_!"

"Phantom!"

"C'mon and answer kiddo!"

The Colorado police, ambulance, and fire department comes in and quickly helps put out the fire, civilians forced to leave and go home. It wasn't until the Guys in White shown up did things sped up. Their ghost anti-fire equipment finishes putting out the fire in minutes, leaving nothing but glowing foam and burnt debris. Once the fire was out, both Johnny and Shadow went intangible and flies through the debris. Half an hour passes and they finally found Danny.

The teen was impaled in the chest and bleeding in human form, a large pole sticking through his left breast. He was still breathing -alive- caked in dried blood and ectoplasm except for where the pole sticks out. The teens green and red blood slowly leaks out of his body; the green ectoplasm in his blood trying to heal the wound but unable to get around the pole. Johnny and Shadow put together their power and turn intangible with Danny in their arms. Once he was transparent, both ghosts fly out of the wreckage.

They fly close to Sam and Tucker and drop to the ground, tired from their three hour efforts in finding Danny. Sam and Tucker were panicking once they saw their best friend with a hole in his chest. The Guys in White, having seen the bleeding teen, got involved and aided the bleeding teen, connecting machines with wires and needles in his arms. The paramedics soon came over and checks Danny's vital signs, getting help from both Sam and Johnny. Upon discovery and comparing notes, with so much blood lost and the hole still apparent, Danny was only moments from becoming a full ghost. The paramedics were rushed into action, gathering whatever they could and called to whatever civilian for a blood donor.

Tucker had suggested he does a blood transfusion since both he and Danny have the same blood type. Kitty offers her own ectoplasm to give to Danny, seeing the teen needing more than just blood. The paramedics had both hooked up to Danny, blood transfusion on the spot. As Danny was receiving the transfusion, the police had questioned both Sam and Tucker. Sam was ready to beat one of the police officers if Tucker hadn't held her back, reminding the female that "Danny needed her". After the police interrogated the teens, parents were called and reported of what had happened. The Foley's worried but not panicking as much as the Fenton's and Mason's were. The Manson's were calling Sam's phone, blowing up her phone with messages and texts only to be ignored for Danny's parents. The Fenton's needed the most comfort from hearing their son, the world's hero, almost _die_ from bleeding out with promises and apologizes for more details for later.

It was six thirty eight in the morning when Danny opens his eyes and sees Sam holding his free hand. "Sam..?" He voice was hoarse, dried from dirt and dust entering his mouth while unconscious.

Sam looks up, tears falling from her eyes. "Danny, you're awake!" She looks out the door, "He's awake!"

Danny was confused of Sam's shouting until he saw a male paramedic come up with with a new bag of blood in hand. "How do you feel Danny?"

Danny licks his lips, "Tired...hungry...Like I got ran over by a truck and then some." He tries to lift up his arm only to find he didn't even have the energy to move his head. "What...happened?"

The paramedic messes with the machine above his head and places a gloved hand on his neck, "Pulse is returning ...You had been impaled by a pole through your left pectoral." Danny eyes widen. "By the way your friends explained to me, you were fighting a ghost and thrown so hard you fell unconscious. The hole is gone now, all is left is scar tissue and... _green ectoplasm?_ " The paramedic looked confused when spoke the last part. "We had to do a blood transplant with two of your friends over there." He points to Kitty and Tucker. "Good thing too, I barely knew what to do with a half blooded human-ghost hybrid. Now just rest and we'll get you transferred to Amity hospital." The paramedic exits the vehicle, the doors left open.

"Your parents," Sam starts to speak, "they...know what happened but they don't know about Dan. I thought you would like to tell them." 

Danny sighs, "Thanks Sam." He clings harder onto her hand.

" _Phantom_ ," Danny recognizes the angry Guy in White being Operative M, "You got some explaining to do!"

" _Ugh_ , can we not do this while I'm recuperating! I mean- I just came out from having a hole in my chest and getting my ass beat!" Danny glares at the white uniformed man. "Check with Johnny and Kitty, they'll tell you everything."

"Already done," he sneers, "they never met the ghost. You're the only one that had contact with him."

"Ugh..." Danny rolls his eyes, "Of course they didn't." He remains silent, thinking. He slowly closes and opens his eyes, "I just met him. This is the first time I seen him- ever!"

Operative M presses his lips, silently contemplating Danny's answer. "Do you know his name?"

Danny sighs, "Dan Phantom."

"You can't be serious. How do you not-

"I'll tell you **later**!" Danny eyes flash green, a warning directed to the agent. "Right now, just get me home." Danny closes his eyes, whether it was from the medication they gave him or the fact the was just plain exhausted, and easily falls asleep. 

* * *

The portal closes behind Dan...

He was safe and Dan sighs, shoulders slump and energy low. "That was a workout." After the directing the ghostly wail, creating clones, accidentally pulling up a powerful shield, instantly healing himself after the blow with the Specter Speeder, using energy to force open the portal, and remaining intangible while invisible, taunting his past self was a tiring -if not _fun_ \- effort. "I'm not trying that again." He breathes in a deep breath, the area around him warps as the ectoplasm in the atmosphere rushes into his body. Dan starts to glow and then he releases his breath, the atmosphere returning to normal with the disarray settling back into place. 

It was a technique neither Vlad or Danny knew; ectoplasmic absorption, the ability to take in all ectoplasm in one's surrounding. The technique requires the ghost, or half ghost, to be in an area heavy in ectoplasm and use their core to seek out the source of energy. Complete concentration and low levels energy are needed prior before the absorption, otherwise the ghost -or hybrid- will take in too much and destabilize their own core, forcing an immediate death. Dan never taught Vlad, or _reminded_ him(?), because the amulet gives the man an infinite amount of ectoplasm...unless he doesn't want it, then...-the half ghost doesn't need anymore power than he has now. 

Dan smiles enjoying the fresh energy wrapping around his core. "Much better...home." He looks around identifying his location.  His eyes narrows at the clock tower, "Clockwork...need to avoid." He flies in the opposite direction and takes the long way home.

* * *

Danny opens his eyes and sees his parents hover above him. "Where am I?"

Maddie holds her son's hand, "You're in the hospital sweetie."

Jack places his arm around his wife, looking tired and happy for his son's well-being. "You gave us quite a scare there kiddo!"

"Sam and Tucker went back home to check on things with their parents." Maddie fingers her son's long hair, tears threatening to leave her eyes. "We thought- I thought...Oh, Danny I was so scared when Sam told us what happened."

"What _exactly_ did happen?" Jack asks.

Danny feels fully rested and tempts his strength. He sits up fully on the bed, flinching from the movement of needles in his arms. "I'll explain everything once we're home. Can you get the doctor, I wanna leave."

"Sure thing, son!" Jack rushes out the room, crashing into the nurse carrying a tray. "Whoops, sorry!"

Silence takes over the room, both son and mother unsure of what to say.

It wasn't long until a loud voice call from down the hallway. "Where is he? Get out of my way!"

"Is that...Valerie?" Danny asks.

The said female marches by the door only to stop when she saw Danny. "You!" She points angrily at Danny.

"Me?" Danny points to himself.

"You trying to give everybody a heart attack!" Valerie marches up besides Danny's bed.

"I don't-

"Ah- I see you're up Mr. Fenton." Danny's doctor walks inside the room, Jack right behind him. "Now, I've checked your vitals and everything seems normal as they should be. Well, besides the low body temperature." The doctor writes on his clip board. "Now, I know you have ghost powers and incredible healing abilities, but procedure requires you to stay in bed for another another hour and then we can send you home. That is, if you promise not to sneak out _again_?" The doctor gives the teen a skeptical look.

"No, promises doc." Danny smirks, "Ghost hunting is a full time job."

Jack brims with happiness, "Like a true Fenton!"

"Yes, well...I just want to make sure that Danny here is at full health. Don't want the world's savior taken down by a mere infection now do we?" The doctor receives no replies but continues on, "We have already taken tests while you were sleeping- x-ray shown that all bones that were broken healed, respiratory is at full capacity, heart pumping, and muscles rejuvenated. All that's left is the scar on your skin, no doubt where the pole impaled you." Danny looks down at the scar, tracing the mark. "Now...You just sit back and relax and I'll go get the paperwork."

Danny looks down the mark and continues to trace the highlight of his skin. The mark almost look as though Danny was strike by lightening with white scars branching out in an electrifying pattern. "Cool, I get an awesome scar." He presses down a bit on the scar and feels no pain.

"So," Valerie speaks up, "are you going to tell me what happened out there?"

Danny shakes his head. "We need to be in a secured place before I tell anyone anything. I don't trust the Guys in White not bugging this place." He tosses off the cover and realizes what he was wearing, his face blushing. He was wearing one of those patient's aprons with the front covered but the back completely out in the open, having nothing underneath. "Uh...can I get some privacy, please?" 

Valerie walks out of the room without another word.

Maddie smiles at her son, gripping his hand one last time before she leaves the room, "Lets us know when you're done, and don't leave until the doctor says so."

"Yes, mom." Danny gives his mother a reassuring smile.

Both of his parents leave the door and closes the door. Danny quickly takes the "apron" off and looks at his clothes. "Aw man, I just _literally_ got this shirt!" He lifts up the ruined concert shirt he bought last night, a large hole was on the left side with dried blood and ectoplasm in the tattered clothing. 

* * *

Dan flies through the bedroom wall silently, catching sight of Vlad wiping away tears. "You're crying?"

Vlad lets out an undignified yelp and turns around. "No, I'm not." He turns his back to the ghost and quickly wipes off the tears on his face.

Dan smiles and hovers onto bed, wrapping his arms around Vlad. "Why are you crying?" His voice whispers in Vlad's ear, causing the half ghost to shy away from the action. "Hm..?"

Vlad mumbles in hushed whispers, "You don't love me." He faces further away from his mate, arms curled around himself.

Dan makes an awkward face, "What makes you say that?" He thinks for a while, "Did Fright Knight put you up to this?"

"No, he didn't." Vlad turns to look at Dan. "I want children."

Dan feels his right eye twitch, "No."

"Then take me to the human world!"

Oh hell..." _ **No**_!"

"Why not?" Dan can feel a rant coming on as Vlad got that _look_ in his eyes. "You leave me alone for long hours. You don't want me to hanging around other ghosts. You limit visitation hours -which is ridiculous by the way! _And-_ you won't let me place a single step into the human world!" Vlad turns to fully face Dan, his hand on his chest. "I want children not because I feel lonely in this house, but because I want to know how much you love me!" Vlad glares at Dan, "Right now everything just seems to- like- you just want sex and not me as your _mate_!" Vlad was angry, his red eyes were evident of that.

Dan was lost for words. They had this conversation almost every week, whether letting Vlad explore the other world or have children of their own. It always ends in arguments and fights with Dan sporting a bruise or two with Vlad shutting himself off from his mate. In another terminology, "sleeping on the couch". 

Dan, being the joining of Vlad Plasmius and Danny Phantom, doesn't want kids. His playful teenage side screams in horror of being a "young" father, while his older _reasonable_ adult side says he was "too old" to try out for children and to "forget about it". In his personal opinion -as his _own_ person, he wasn't ready to be a father. Sure Vlad would be a wonderful _mother,_ Dan himself may be a good dad, but Vlad wants multiple children. Not _one-_  not _two-_  just three or _more_...To have one ghostly child after another. The idea was a nightmare, but not compared to what may happen if Vlad gets to the world of the living.

Vlad's face is well known around the world -both human and ghost form- with the whole planet on high alert after Plasmius had threatened to take over the world. It failed -yes, but it doesn't make the humans of planet earth feel any safer than they originally had been. The Guys in White would capture him and keep him locked up, doing horrible imaginative and unimaginative things to the hybrid -even right out kill him! With Vlad unable remember anything of his past, he will be vulnerable -and negligent- to his surroundings, hopelessly wondering into a trap. And if the wrong person got their hands on him, the Amulet-

...no, that won't happen. Dan has to keep Vlad close by his side at all costs, even if it means. . .to become a father.

_Ugh, like I have a choice!_

Dan remains silent, shoulders slump in thought. Vlad waits patiently for his mate to answer. The silence drags on long enough and Vlad finally lashes out. He transforms into Plasmius fully clothed, and grabs Dan's collar, red eyes meeting the other's. "Either you take me to see the world of the living, or BE A MAN AND GIVE.ME. **CHILDREN**!" The amulet begins to glow an eerie red and dark purple, matching Plasmius' emotion perfectly.

Dan, realizing the amulet taking power, quickly makes his decision. He panics and shouts, "Fine- fine! I choose kids! Lets go for kids!" The amulet's power dies down, and Dan relaxes. The amulet hasn't change shape, so its power wasn't used.

Vlad smiles and leaps on his mate, "You will! Thank you-thank you-thank _you_ ~" Vlad transforms back to his human side and runs out the room, "Just let me get ready! I won't take long!"

After watching his mate rushing out of the room, Dan falls face first into the bed. He groans into the soft blanket. "Why me? Why not someone else?"

* * *

"Why me? Why not someone else?" Danny groans.

"C'mon son- it's not so bad!" Jack says enthusiastically.

Danny looks from his dad to the contraption in his hands, then back to his father. "I don't know...Will it hurt?"

"On your human side -not sure, but I know if it hits anything made of ectoplasm, it will burn at first and then heal it right up." He said happily. "So why not give it a try? We only have to do it once."

Danny looks down at the contraption again. Danny was still in the hospital waiting for the doctor's return. That was until his father had a brilliant idea to inject him with the brand new "Fenton Speeder-Upper", a device meant to instantly heal ghosts. However, knowing most of his father's inventions he had a higher chance of ending on his knees throwing up last night's dinner, his insides burn with excruciating pain -hell, maybe even going into shock.

 _But_ it was his dad...

"Okay." Danny says dejectedly.

"Alright! Now turn ghost and I'll shoot you!" Jack charges the gun(?) and aims at Danny's chest.

"Uh...going ghost..." The familiar white rings appear around Danny's body and Fenton turns into Phantom. "Okay, I'm ready." He closes his eyes, his head turned to the side to avoid watching his father shoot him.

" **MR. FENTON**!" The doctor's voice shouts thorough out the room, startling both Danny and Jack. Jack pulls the trigger and misses, hitting the window behind Danny. "You will not use any device on my patients! Daniel is still recuperating -it doesn't matter if the boy is half ghost or not. Now put that-that  thing away and leave Daniel be!" The doctor huffs and walks up to Danny checking of the teen was in any harm. 

Jack felt bad, scolded by the doctor, and puts away his Fenton Speeder-Upper. He walks to the corner of the room and sits down on one of the spare chairs in the room. Maddie and Valerie walks in soon, carrying steaming cups of coffee and two lunch bags in the other. If they heard the doctor's out burst they didn't acknowledge it.

"Now, I just want to check on you one last time then I'll go get your papers." The doctor places the stethoscope against Danny's chest. "Wha- there's no heart beat!"

"Oh sorry," Danny transforms back into his human side, white rings going up and down his body.

"Oh, that's...extraordinary." The doctor goes back checking Danny's health. 

 "So...uh...what happened when I was gone?" Danny directed the question at Valerie.

Valerie rolls her eyes. "Just Box Ghost starting trouble, nothing special."

"Really?" Danny raises an eyebrow. "You sure that's all?"

"Yep, if there was anything else I would've told you."

"That's good news...I think."

" _But_..?"

"The calm before the storm." Danny suggests.

"I thought the _storm_ already hit at the festival?" Valerie takes a sip of her coffee.

"No..." Danny glares at nothing in particular. "Not yet."


	6. More Than A Dark Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny tells about Dan Phantom and is relieved, but Clockwork is not so sure for the future...

The Fenton family and Valerie were in the living room, waiting in silence. Jack and Maddie sat on the couch staring at Danny. Sam and Tucker were else where doing what they usually do on a Sunday. Valerie was standing off to the side leaning against the wall, dressed in her Red Huntress ghost hunting gear. Danny takes a chair from the kitchen and brings it to the living room. He turns the wooden chair around, setting it backwards so he could lean on the back rest. Danny shares glances with everyone in the room, nervousness playing off in his eyes. All four were silent in the Fenton household, just waiting on Danny.

Danny runs his fingers through his hair, sighing from time to time. This was hard on him...Danny was finally going to tell them what happened those few years ago. A fear he wished he could always keep to himself and share with no one else. He didn't want anyone to be burdened by his responsibility, yet alone with his worst nightmare came true. Hoping no one would ever have to go through what he went through, only him to take this on his shoulders. He wish to keep to himself...from his parents...from his friends. Sam and Tucker only knew a little bit from what little they had to go through, and Jazz less than they. But Danny knew everything, witnessed everything, and experienced everything. So he knew the dangers of telling them, the consequences of sharing secrets, but...

 _I have to tell them..._ _It is him after all._ Danny sighs again and crosses his arms on the back rest, hands gripping the edges tightly.

"Danny..." The teen looks up to see his mother give him a cheerful smile,"Take your time sweetheart."

He side-way smiles at his mother and takes one deep breath. "I guess the best part to start is at the beginning." Danny looks to the floor, and grips the back rest of the chair with both hands. "It was some time after summer. Freshman year...there was the Career Aptitude testing. I knew with all the ghost fighting and minimal studying time that I wasn't going to pass. _So_  ...I started to wonder 'why bother...I have ghost powers, so I can cheat my way out'. But...beyond my knowledge, cheating had a consequence I wasn't aware of." Danny scoffs, "Now that I think about it, how can me cheating turn into the end the world?"

Danny looks up to the other three in the room. "In the distant future...a different timeline that may or may not still exist, I become evil and terrorize the world. I practically decimated the planet." Danny looks back down at the floor. "The observers -these weird green, one eyeballed ghosts- didn't like that the world being destroyed and got a powerful ghost...a ghost that can control time, to prevent that timeline from ever happening. So...I was paid a little visit from two new ghosts ...from the future..."

* * *

In the ghost zone, in the far parts of the Forbidden zone, was the clock tower floating on an island. It is isolated from the rest of the ghost zone. Inside is the keeper of time, Clockwork, dressed in his usual purple outfit and grey gloves. His body constantly shifting to and from different ages with all items on his person adjusting to his size changes. He floats in one place, red eyes staring into a large mirror. He waves his right hand, as he held the time staff in the left, and the mirror changes images. All images were pathways leading to the ever changing future. He was doing his usual routine of ensuring the fabric of time stays intact and undisturbed.

"Everything is as it should be." Clockwork shifts to his elder form and gazes at the time mirror, watching Danny telling his parents about Dan Phantom.

* * *

Danny continues...

"After my fight with Skulktech 9.9, we were transported in a large clock tower. Sam, Tuck, and I...we knew we were in the ghost zone but not exactly where. We watched the two ghosts returning back to there home world through some looking glass and saw the future. My future...The ghost of time...he introduced himself as Clockwork. We fought for a while, but were sent into the future. That's when things got really ugly." Danny scratches the back of his head.

"Man...we didn't even stand a chance."

Danny looks at Valerie. "You were there-in the future, fighting by evil self. I was going to help you but you turned on me and said something along the lines of me being dead that the future will change. You-she had a frightening look on her face. Like she was really scared of me." The raven head teen sighs. "Everything goes down hill...Dan spots me and we fight it out. Sam and Tuck almost died...If it wasn't for Sam's quick thinking they would've been crushed by the falling building. I realized it once I saw there amulets on the ground. I was going to do the same.

"Dan prevented me from returning and places the necklace in my body. I was stuck there, trapped...I couldn't get back home. Dan thought it would be funny if he left me in the ghost zone defenseless. By every ghost Dan did wrong I was beaten and pummeled for it..."

* * *

The mirror fuzzes out and slowly changes into another image, causing the seems of the mirror to leak black ectoplasm around the edges.

"No, it can't be!"  Clockwork's eyes pop open and flies a little ways away from the time mirror. As the image focuses, the scene was once distributing now horrifying, the world was swallowed in darkness. Ghosts and undead alike were being slaughtered all around. Human beings were running in fear, their kind dying left and right. Both blood and ectoplasm pilled equally on both sides. 

A gentle laugh echoes through the clock tower. "Are you sure about that?" A effeminate voice rang behind the master of time.

Clockwork turns around and glares at the unwanted guest. "You have no power here!"

The newcomer ghost flies mere inches off the ground dressed head to toe in a pure black cloak with silver embroidery decorating the seems. The usual ghostly glow emits from her being, as white eyes stares at the keeper of time from the shadows. There was small strands of white hair flowing through the air like smoke, creeping from underneath the hood. "No...Not yet, at least." She laughs, "Once the Amulet lose its power. I will be free once more to rule the underworld!" White glowing eyes gleam happily from the shadow of the hood. "You have just witnessed the future Clockwork. What makes you think it won't happen otherwise?" She hovers more into Clockwork's view, black ghostly tail peeping underneath the cloak.

The keeper of time quickly puts distance between him and the black cloaked ghost. "I doubt that it _will_ happen." Clockwork takes his staff out, left hand hovering over the button.

" **Push that button!** -and _Daniel_ will know how it feels for his soul to be **eaten** by another ghost!" The female challenges.

Clockwork glares and clinches his fist. Slowly the master of time puts down his staff, red eyes glower in anger. "Why have you come here?"

"A warning, _old friend_." The female laughs and summons a ghostly beast. The beast, resembling much like Wulf, was a werewolf with red fur-no clothes, black teeth, and green claws. The beast's purple eyes glare at the time keeper. "You remember our old friend, right?" Clockwork couldn't help but run his finger over the scar on his left eye. "Stay out of it, and I will let the boy live..." She laughs and disappears in a swirl of blue fire.

Clockwork made a move to go after her but was stopped by the snarling of the large beast. The keeper of time clenched his hands tightly, red eyes glaring from where he last seen the mysterious female back to the beast before him.

* * *

Danny can feel his palms sweating, "Once I gotten the time necklace out of my body, time shifted around me and I was back to my original timeline. I saw you guys trapped inside the Nasty Burger...You guys were going to die _again_ , and Dan was going to make sure it happens so he could exist. He kept telling me it was inevitable, and I couldn't stop him because I was too weak. But I didn't- I couldn't give up. So I fought Dan and gave everything I got. Just when I thought I had the upper hand, he stops me and literally beats me to the ground.

"I..." Danny felt tears welling up. "I used my ghostly wail on him, ending the fight. I secured Dan in a Fenton thermos." A tear leaves his face, remembering how it felt when he saw his friends and family die in the explosion. He couldn't get himself to tell them that and moves on with the story. "Once I did, everything turned back to normal and Clockwork told me to learn from my experience. He'd taken Dan back with him back in the ghost zone and we never spoke of it again. But now, I'm not sure what's going on." Danny looks up at his parents waving his hand in the air. "It was a done deal-never to happen again, but...he's back...he's back and I'm...I'm...scared." He sniffs, trying hard not to cry. 

There was a loud silence in the Fenton household.

Creaks from the couch can be heard.

Maddie hugs her son, combing her fingers through his dark hair. "Oh, sweetie we love you so much. You're such a brave person. I never been prouder to have you." She kisses his forehead. "You went through so much, but you have us now." She lifts Danny's head, blues eyes meeting baby blue. "There's no need to be scared now. You have us, your family and friends, and...other ghosts." Danny understands his mother's hesitance. Maddie still has a hard time seeing her children making friends with ghosts, but hid it well. "We will let nothing bad happen."

"Your mother is right Danny!" Jack leaps off the couch. "We are your family -A FENTON FAMILY! We hunt ghosts and take care of our own!" Jack rubs his chin, "Now that Dan ghost needs to be put down, and for good!"

Valerie walks up to the family and looks at Maddie, "Can we start on the Fenton Thermos? We can calibrate it, make it strong enough to keep that ghost trapped until we can find a way to kill it."

"That's a good start, but we don't we know how powerful he is." Maddie looks from Danny to Valerie.

Jack snaps his fingers, questionable how he did it with gloves on. "We can use the new invention! The Fenton Rabbit-Trap!"

Danny shakes his head. "He won't fall for anything we try to trick him into. He has Vlad's intelligence if not smarter than the man. And- with both of our ghost halves, he has a better and larger arsenal than I have, maybe even more!" Danny huffs, strands of black hair falling more over his face.

Valerie crosses her arms, "I guess we need something..something of his to get him where we want him to be."

"Yes," Jack crosses his arms, "but exactly what?"

"Hm..." All four thought.

Danny thinks back to all of his interactions with Dan and their history together. In a way to speak both were one and the same, but he is also part of Vlad. He knows everything about himself, but what about Vlad's side. Danny barely knew the man, regardless how many times they fought. Danny held his friends and loved ones by his side -always. So...There must be something Vlad kept close by his side. He had no one to love, no family to communicate with, his pet Maddie died, and the idea of cloning Danny was _soo_ not going to happen. Going back on past experiences when dealing with ghosts, Danny has learn so much in a few years, Vlad can easily trump his knowledge of ghosts when it comes to experience. Danny, being seventeen, only have about four years of experience compared to Vlad's twenty years - twenty four if anyone is still counting. But the man was nowhere to be seen or heard since the incident with the asteroid.  _If only the fruitloop wasn't a fruitloop._  Danny sighs...

Then what is it? What kept Vlad the way he was for so long?

The man only had himself.

_Himself..._

Danny jumps out of his chair. "I got it! We can look into Vlad's files!"

Jack and Maddie looks to one another and then back to Danny, his mother uncertain. "Danny, what can Vl-Masters' notes hold that we don't know?"

Danny ignores how his mother called her former best friend by his last name. "Vlad has been half ghost much longer than I have, maybe there's something we don't know. Or maybe he had secret notes, or journals, or video recordings stashed somewhere."

"I highly doubt that." Valerie comments. "After the psycho went missing, Tucker and I checked all of his belongings -and I mean _everything_."

Danny gives Valerie a skeptical look, "Did you know Vlad rules at least half of the ghost zone, and can even disseminate ectoplasm in a blink of an eye, which explains how he can create clones and shields out of arms reach."

"Meaning..?"

"He always boasted that he knew everything about ghosts. He may have discovered more weaknesses in ghosts and kept the information to himself. Things about -Oh, I don't know, how to _kill_ a ghost without even trying."

Maddie nods in agreement, "It would explain how he became so powerful over the years." 

"And because he knows everything about ghosts, he might have hidden the information, somewhere?" Danny shrugs. After some thought, Danny looks toward the lab and eyes gone wide. "Somewhere...where not only ghost won't venture, but also where his enemies will never suspect." He gets up from the chair, eyes locked on the door. "No way...he...wouldn't."

"You know where it is?"

Danny looks to them with slight fear in his eyes. "The Forbidden Zone."

* * *

The beast walks around the room, stalking the keeper of time, purple eyes locked and filled with blood lust. Clockwork glares at the red beast. "I'm guessing you're here for revenge?" He holds the time staff in front of himself, on full guard and ready for an attack.

"More than that," The wolf takes a step forward in challenge. "I plan to take that child's soul once her Majesty comes to full power. You're invited to watch."

Clockwork nods to the beast's answer. His posture relaxes and turns his back to the beast, red eyes staring into the time mirror. He understood why it was placed here; it was meant as a constant warning for interfering, at the same time, acting as a guard dog to keep him in place and for others to stay away. "So be it..." He grips his staff in fear and anger, body shaking in disbelief as the next words left his mouth, "Everything is as it should be." Clockwork bows his head in defeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be pictures, but now I have to take break from this story. Don't worry it will only be about a month.


	7. On the hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You gotta love teenage drama.

Danny stood tall before the ghost portal in his parent's basement in ghost form. His green eyes hard and concentrating into the deep sea of the familiar green abyss, watching the ectoplasm swirl constantly in different patterns of waves. His hands were clenched tight, shoulders taunt. He just stands there in a brave pose. However, in the inside, he was panicking. Thinking of other ways to avoid flying through that door. 

A black gloved hand lands on Danny's shoulder, making the half ghost jump. Valerie looks at Danny in the eyes, "You okay?"

"Yeah," He looks back at the portal, "I'm fine. I just...can't get this feeling off my chest, like something bad was going to happen."

"Ha, yeah- _right!_ " She places her hands on her hips in her usual care free manner. "What's there to worry about? You're parents will be here protecting the town. You will be flying through the ghost zone with your friends covering your back. All of us armed to the teeth. No ghost will want to mess with us. And even if they did, they'll be paste before they say 'sorry'."

Danny shakes his head, "No, it's...something more complicated than that."

"Then don't jinx it!" She slaps his back hard, knowing the teen could handle her strength. "That's something you would hear in your typical-everyday horror movie." She gives Danny a small smile. "Say something that won't get us into trouble."

Danny chuckles, "Right, or else you'll pull my hair out."

"I might as well do it right now." Her hand creeps up to Danny's head.

Danny swats away her hand and the covers his head. "Okay-okay. We are going to make it through this with no problems what-so-ever."

"Good, but knowing your luck, I have a better chance with Tucker."

"Hey!"

"You already jinxed it! So don't be surprised when _I do_ rip out more than my far share."

"Valerie, can you stop flirting with my boyfriend and help us finish packing." Sam throws a few weapons into the back of Specter Speeder. 

"Sure Sam." Valerie smirks smugly at the Goth. "I'll stop flirting with my _ex-boyfriend_ to help you pack." The Red Huntress crosses her arms, knowing well of Sam's control of her jealousy.

Sam growls underneath her breathe, hating the fact that Valerie would always rub _it_. Sure, Valerie had been Danny's before she initiated anything. Had went on better dates than she and Danny did, made-out with him (officially) before she. Danny had eyes on her before she did--  _dammit_ , WHY DID VALERIE HAD TO BE THE FIRST ONE!? She bets Danny still likes her that way, and thinks of her that way. Even when she has Danny now, he can always go back to her!

Sam hadn't realize her grip on the Specter Speeder left fingernail marks in their wake.

"Valerie, don't start." Danny scolded the huntress. 

"Oh-cat fight!" Tucker pulls up his PDA, ready to record.

Sam glares.

Tucker slowly puts away his device, "Or not..?"

Valerie shrugs, "What? It's the truth."

"So is _you_ breaking it off." Danny retorted, defending Sam.

"Burn." Tucker.

"Well I wouldn't have broken it off, if _you_ hadn't lied to me about being _Danny Phantom_!" She jabs her finger at Danny, feeling offended.

"Double Burn." Tucker.

"That's a lot coming from you, _miss hypocrite_. Living a double life as the Red Huntress and not telling your _boyfriend_ is the sure way to go!" Danny crosses his arms defensively.

"Ha! Sure thing _Phantom!_  Not only are you a hypocrite for calling me a hypocrite, but you knew about my secret long before I ever learned about yours! Which, of course, you was never going to tell me!" Valerie flicks hand in the air in sign of dismissal.

"I would've told you IF YOU HADN'T BROKE UP WITH ME!"

"YOU GAVE ME NO CHOICE, I THOUGHT YOU WAS IN DANGER!"

"Seriously, you two should get a room." Tucker comments.

"SHUT-UP TUCKER!" Sam, Danny, and Valerie had shouted at the top of their lungs.

All three victims of the love triangle faced away from one another. The tension in the air so thick it seem to be made out of bone. The heavy weight on their shoulders made them feel like it was hard to breathe, an anchor in their hearts.

"What's going on here, I heard screaming from upstairs." Maddie looks around curious. She sees her son and the two females in defensive positions looking away. Being a genius woman that she was, Maddie knew the three defensive teens had an argument -and a serious one at that.

Tucker was the only one that seemed unaffected by the drama that played out earlier. He turns to Maddie and gives her his best smile, "Nothing Mrs. Fenton. Just...teenagers being teenagers."

Maddie looks to Danny, but the ghost teen wouldn't look her in the eyes. "Alright, let me just make sure you guys have everything before you leave." She walks over to the Specter Speeder and nods to Tucker. Tucker understood and walks over to Specter Speeder with Maddie. "What happened?" She asked in a hush whisper.

Tucker looks over to Danny, knowing the half ghost's hyper hearing and types on his PDA. After he was done, Tucker held up the screen for Maddie to read.

"I...see...thank you Tucker."

"Sure thing Mrs. Fenton." Tucker erases the message and puts away his PDA in his pants pocket.

Maddie closes the trunk of the Specter Speeder and looks to the teens. "Everything is here. Sam sweetie, your parents-?"

"They know Mrs. Fenton, but they don't know when."

"Right. Valerie?"

"Dad isn't worried too much. He just asks for a lot of pictures of the ghost zone and to contact him if anything bad happens." Valerie walks up to Maddie and taps a few buttons on her suit, then takes a chip out her glove. "This is the tracking device, just in case. I have an emergency panic system in my suit if I get into any trouble." She drops the chips in Maddie's hand. "Once the emergency system activates, the chip will go off and lead you right to me."

"I'll keep it on me Valerie." Maddie smiles at the teen, pride in her as a ghost hunter shining through.

Valerie smiles back and nods. Suddenly, with the advanced technology she wears, her helmet covers her head and the jet-hover board appears underneath her feet, hovering a few inches off the ground. With a jerk of her knee and a twist of her hip, Valerie directs the board in front of the Ghost Portal.

Maddie walks up to her son, and Danny looks back at her mother. "Are you going to be alright Danny?" Her worry marring her face.

Danny smiles at his mother and hugs her, his height dominating her smaller form. "Don't worry mom, I can handle it. We're just going to take the safe route and search for anything suspicious or _Vlad related_. If not that then, I can ask my friends of the Far Frozen for some help." Danny held back the information regarding the infi-map.

"Okay sweetie, you know your father and I are here for you."

"Yeah, speaking of which, where is dad?" Danny looks around the lab.

"He's outside talking to the Guys In White." Maddie winks at Danny.

Danny goes in an hugs his mother once more. "Thanks mom!"

Maddie hugs him back. The hug lasts bit longer until his mother when taps his shoulder. "Danny...cold."

Danny backs away from his mother, "Right, sorry." Danny still had his bright smile.

"Does everyone have their Fenton phones?" Maddie asks in general. Everyone but Danny held up there own set of pairs. "And Fenton Thermos?" Everyone held up one familiar silver cylinder. "Alright, be safe."

Danny takes the lead and flies through the portal. Valerie flies in after him with Sam and Tucker in the Specter Speeder not far behind. The door to the portal closes and Maddie goes to the computer monitor. Typing in a few keys and watching live surveillance feed through the Specter Speeder's camera.

* * *

Vlad kisses Dan. A smile was playing on his face. "I'm going to be a mother soon."

"Carrier." Dan corrects.

Vlad rolls his eyes smiling, "I meant Metaphorically."

"Uh-huh." Dan kisses Vlad, his fangs nips lightly against his mate's lips. "We're both going to be bed ridden for a few days."

"We don't have to spend that much energy." Vlad suggests.

"Unacceptable," Dan wraps his arms around Vlad, calloused fingers playing with his mate's back. Sharp fingernails leaving scratches on his back. "I want strong children."

Vlad chuckles and moans, his hands playing with his mate's flaming white hair. "Not stronger than me, I hope. That's asking for trouble." He kisses Dan over and over, long lithe legs making their way around Dan's waist. 

Dan rolls them over on the bed, his hands rubbing along his mate's rib cage and hips. His kisses traveling down to Vlad's neck. "Transform for me."

Two dark rings appear around Vlad's midsection, separating and changing his entire being to the atomic level. His pale skin turns blue, long white hair up swept into black locks, sea blue eyes bleeds into ruby, and last his fangs extend in an utmost vampiric fashion. "Dan..." Vlad moans, body aching for a long lost touch as he twists and turns upon the bed sheets.

Dan grins, "Try not to bite off my dick this time."

Vlad slightly frowns, "It was an accident."

Dan didn't argue, but grins in satisfaction. "How sorry are you?"

Vlad smiles, "I can show you." He licks Dan's mouth and moves lower, and lower, and lower...

and...lower...

Dan hisses, "Fuck me."

* * *

Danny had flown past all the normal territories in the ghost zone. The capes, worm holes, "valley" of purple doors, Skulker's island, Captain Youngblood's ship, as well as Walker's prison which sat at the edge of the Forbidden Zone. They all, the ghostly residents, saw him but they never made a move. Even Walker with his love for rules let Danny pass like it was nothing.

Weird.

"Hold a moment, Phantom!" Danny stops and looks back to see Nocturne, and a few of his goons, fly closer to the half ghost. "You are heading to the Forbidden Zone?"

"Yeah, why?" Danny wasn't sure how to approach the ghost of dreams. He held himself back, away from the large ghost. His friends were right behind him, with Valerie itching for her gun.

"A fair warning child. Be wary, for the dark forces has awaken. A ghost with immense power has threaten many others if ever to trespass. He may be even more than a match for you." He does not smile, nor frown. Nocturne was sincere, honest.

"I thought you lived there." Danny points with his thumb to the direction of the Forbidden Zone. "Well, you or the other larger guys."

"No, the only ones that lives there are the ancients and the guardians of the realms. Spare for that _one_ ghost." Nocturne looks to the other ghostly residents. "They will not bother you or your friends. They were waiting for you to come."

"Why?" Danny looks to the other ghosts, looking closer only to see them huddle and gaze. Some had fear in their eyes as others stare and wait with hope.

"You have saved us many times Phantom. Of both worlds." Nocturne looks back to Danny. "If you are to save us once more, we are willing to help."

Danny looks back at Nocturne. "I will, thank you." Danny waves good-bye and continues to fly onward, friends right by his side.

"What was all that about?" Tucker asked, confused.

"These guys are scared, but my guess is it has something to do with _him_. Nocturne was just saying the others will leave us alone if we can handle the threat." Danny looks over his shoulders, catching sight of other ghosts moving about but well out of his way.

"You mean be rid of him?" Valerie scoffs.

"That is what we're here for." Danny shrugs.

" _But_..?" Tucker.

" _But_ I know HIM. His actions, his behavior. He wouldn't just sit peacefully in the back of the Forbidden Zone just to keep other ghosts away. He would destroy everything, leave nothing to trace and ruin ghosts' lives,  _and_ their means of survival." Danny shakes his head. "Something isn't right." 

Valerie scoffs again. "Sounds like the guy is hiding something."

Danny stops instantly.

Sam swerves the Specter Speeder around Danny, almost smacking into him by a hair. Valerie had to pull a fast maneuver just to avoid a rock. As both females gotten the hang of their vehicles, they both turn to Danny. Sam shouts at her boyfriend, "What's wrong with you? Why did you stop? I could've-

"You said he was hiding something." Danny looks at Valerie with a look of realization.

"Yeah."

"So he's on the defensive?"

"Maybe? Where are you going with this?"

Danny runs his hand through his hair. His mind was racing with memories, experiences, and trails when it came to ghosts. Danny knew his alternate future self was the aggressive type, always to provoke and attack without warning. He would destroy anything in his wake, leave everything to ruin without a spare thought of who or what he was hurting. But for him him to act defensively is not likely. 

A defensive ghost would be more like Frostbite or Clockwork. They would remain in their territories and defend their obsessions as a sense of duty but for something completely personal. Clockwork has the ability to control time, so being defensive is a must. The residents of the Far Frozen holds the infi-map, it falling into the wrong hands is asking for more than trouble. So, guarding it is a must. But an aggressive ghost becoming defensive --no, the only way an aggressive ghost would act defensively would be if they were threatened by a higher power.

Like that time when Pariah Dark tried to take over Amity Park...

Or Box Ghost stealing Pandora's Box... 

Or the end of the world...

Or...Walker......

Danny slaps himself in the face, because thinking about it now, realize it's no wonder the ghosts are willing to give an helpful hand. Getting an idea, Danny looks toward the crowd of ghosts, then back to his friends, and then back again. "I have a idea, but it's a crazy idea." Danny holds up his hands in emphasis, "Just wait here, I'll be right back." With a flick of his ghostly tail, Danny takes off in the opposite direction.

"Hey, Nocturne!" Danny calls out to the ghost.

Nocturne halts in mid-flight and turns around, "Yes, Phantom?"

"I might take you up on that offer."

* * *

Vlad licks the edges of his lips, saliva dripping down to his chin. "How was that?"

Dan was splayed out on the bed, limbs widely spread eagle as his eyes remain closed. "Give me a moment..." He breathes out, his forked tongue slightly escaping his mouth. "I need to...prepare myself..." He slowly leans up, arms bracing behind him as he stares at Vlad. "It's exhausting to cum." 

"You're speaking to the choir." Vlad slowly crawls on top of Dan, a fanged smile directed at his mate. His slim waist swerving back and forth as he seductively began to kiss Dan. "Besides..." Kiss. "I know how you like it..." Kiss. " A long intercourse..." Lick. "Fucking me quick and hard..." Kiss and Lick. "...into a thoroughly fulfilled orgasm."

Dan sits all the way up, hands quickly grabbing Plasmius' waist. Fangs nick upon lips as kisses and saliva were swapped. Plasmius slowly grinds in Dan's lap, enticing the ghost to precede. He holds onto Dan's face wanting nothing more but to become one with him, to have him inside, and feel the warmth that is his core. He can feel their kiss become a heavy make-out. Heat bubbling in the pit of his stomach, warming up his body as it slowly climbs up his spine and through his chest. He can feel his throat tighten as he-

*cough*

Vlad pulls away watching wisps of red leave Dan's throat. *cough* "You were suppose to warn me!" He coughs a few more times, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand of the distaste of red ectoplasm.

Dan growls in frustration, "And now of all times?"

Plasmius sighs, "I'll wait." He climbs off of Dan, frowning as well.

Dan tosses his legs off the side of the bed, ready to dress and leave. "That's fine. I'll be-

Three more wisps of red escapes Dan's mouth. "Four?"

Plasmius Turns back to Dan with a worried expression. "Should I tag along?"

Dan looks off to the side in thought, his red eyes glaring at the floor. "It's _him_." He turns to Plasmius, "Get dress. I need you with me."

* * *

 

Danny's ghost sense goes off as two wisps escapes his mouth. He looks behind and looks to the others, "Guys! We got company! Stay alert!" Danny slows down his flight stretching his senses to see any oncoming attacks. He looks left and right, watching and waiting for anything to come around a corner.

Valerie is close behind Danny, keeping her eyes in front and on her ecto-scanner. Noturne and Sam, with Tucker in passenger, fly side by side, both nervous and attentive to their surroundings. Tucker quickly pulls up the ecto-scanner on his PDA; a sonar-like map appearing on his screen. There were only two signatures on the map.

"We're in the clear." Tucker doesn't removes his eyes from the screen.

Danny smiles a little, "Thanks Tuck." But they still weren't out of the wood works yet. For two ghosts to set his senses off beyond Tucker's radar must be more powerful than he thought. For it's not the presence of the ghost that sets of his senses but the power coming from one's core. The stronger the core the more likely they would set of his ghost sense. But that's if they don't conceal their power. It's also the reason why weaker ghosts can have an easier jump on him.

 

The area doesn't help either, with the floating rocks and all and-

Danny's ghost sense goes off again, with two more blue wisps. This means two more ghosts had appeared. He slows his flight to a stop and hesitantly turns to the left. "We're taking a little detour. It's safer this way than straight through." Danny heads off, his friends and company keeping behind him. They have to play it safe...until they get there...they have to play it safe.

So the safest would be Clockwork's.

* * *

 

It's not everyday that Danielle travels through the ghost zone, especially undisturbed. But that's the beauty of the Forbidden Zone; calm and quiet, and...barely anyone in sight. As long as she didn't cross someone's territory she'll be fine. She flies pass by a large forest mountain with a bright yellow aura around the floating island; A place rumored to hold a river of flowing gold. Next was another large floating island, a giant white tree naked and bared; another place rumored to carry the heart of the ghost zone. But those wasn't her destination.

Her destination was the Clock Tower, where the Keeper of Time resides.

She had a question, about herself, about her being a clone. After two years of her existence, she hadn't changed an inch. No growth anywhere except her hair which grew miraculously, like bamboo in spring. At first she thought it was a mere growth stunt, but two years had past. She's fourteen and will be fifteen at the end of the year. Something was not right with her anatomy.

She flies past a giant arch ring made of pure glass, marked with an ancient language. Danni slows down, a gasp of blue air escapes her mouth; her ghost sense. She stops and looks around wondering what ghost set off her senses. Her neon green eyes opens wide as she saw a luminescent white squid flying below her. Danni relaxes knowing white ghosts weren't a threat unless threatened.

She continues to fly through the ghost zone.

Not far Danni sees the Clock tower. It's dark aura surrounding the area, the sense of time becoming faster as her body felt more slower, the multiple ticking sounds becoming more ominous the closer she gets; like a pre-meditated warning. But she doesn't turn back, instead she flies closer determined to get her way.

Landing before the front doors, Danni takes a deep breath. "Okay Danni, you can do this. Cousin had done this like a million times." She raises her white gloved hand, feeling her body shake.

Knock. Knock.

Her ghost sense goes off.

As shadow over casts her form and she turns around, her eyes go wide in horror.

A large red beast, a werewolf by mere looks, was behind grinning from ear to ear. "Didn't anyone tell you to never knock at death's door." His claws extend and slices at the girl.

Danielle screams and dodges out of the way. "Get away from me! Huh?" She gasps watching the glowing claws leaving a marking tear to another void, but the entry were too small and thin. Suddenly, the tears disappear within seconds after the initial attack.

The red werewolf licks his maws, "I'm going to enjoy eating your soul Danielle Masters."

"How do you know my name, you creep?" Danni clench her fists, floating in her signature fighting stance.

"I know all child!" The red werewolf charges at her and slashes at her.

Danni dodges again, "Eat this!" She shots out two ecto-rays from her palms.

The blasts hit the creature directly but it did nothing to hurt or hinder the ghost. The werewolf gave out a weird laugh between a snarl and a chuckle, "My turn!" The werewolf disappears, becoming transparent. Silence remains in the air of where the beast once stood.

Danni backs away, looking around for the werewolf. "Come out and fight me! Don't hide you coward!" Her voice shook in fear, nervous sweat leaving her brow. She turns around checking her backside, only to turn around again to check her rear. Nothing was there, but she knew the beast was still around, stalking her in the shadows. "Look just, let me go...I'll leave-and never ever bother you again!" A loud snarl was close to her left ear. "Ah!" She jumps back, spooked. "Please!" She felt her instincts screaming at her, telling her to run. "I promise not to talk! Just let me go! Deal?"

 

"No Deal."

White hot pain enters her body, body tensing, fingers clenching as she felt only pain. She was screaming, she had to be when she was crying, but she didn't hear herself -it was silence, a long ringing in her ears, and the unbearable pain. She clawed at her chest, gasping not for breath, but for something that was no longer there. She couldn't move, just scream until she couldn't scream no more.

Slowly but surely, the pain began to go away. Long arms caresses her small body, fingers combs through her hair in a gentle rhythm, ebbing away the pain. She felt safe in these arms, protected from all the fear and hurt. Another ghost no doubt, for she could feel, sense, this person's core syncing with her broken one.

A warm light enters into the darkness of her mind. Now she felt only tired and sleepy, her core no longer feeling broken but whole and new once more. 

She knew this person.

She trusted this person.

As soon as she could move, she wraps her arm around the person's neck and curling up against their body.

The ringing in her ears went away and the sound -a soothing hushed voice called to her, "Hush now, I'm right here. I'm right here. Everything is going to be okay." Her sight blacken out with the last thing she saw was the white hair tickling her nose.


	8. New enemies and old pastimes...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you were to choose between protecting the one you love or following orders, which will you choose?

It happened so fast...

Danny heard the screaming and flown as fast as he could to the source.

That scream...it was no doubt -it was Danni...

Turns a few corners and saw her...

Her...blood-no, ectoplasm is floating distantly in air. She is petrified-frighten with pure horror and pain on her face. Arms shaking...He flies closer noticing the details. There are claw marks trailing from shoulder to hip on her back. The markings, black with a blue essence, were tearing her apart slowly. Her form wasn't melting but decomposing. The ectoplasm leaving her skin floats away, her skin becoming more of an earthy grey, and body once fit is now skeletal. 

The sight is frightening, and the screaming...

She wouldn't stop screaming...

"Danni!" Danny was about to reach her when he felt something hard hit his side. Crashing him into the wall of the Clock tower, Danny feels familiar the burn of ectoplasm scorching his chest. He glares up seeing the ghost that blasted him, only to feel his jaw drop of not only seeing Plasmius but Dan as well, comforting Danni. The third ghost had its back facing Danny, but it was no doubt that it was large red clawed creature.

The culprit that attacked Danni.

* * *

 Plasmius just made it...barely.

He saw the damage done to the girl and knew instantly what caused it. He didn't know why nor how he knew...he just _knew_. Out of the corner of his eye, Plasmius saw another ghost heading for the girl. Not far behind the new ghost, a large red beast made itself tangible preparing to kill the newcomer.

Once he saw the red ghost, he reacted before he'd spoken, "Watch out!" He shoots a large ecto-ray out. The blast made contact with the boy, only enough to shove him far away and not wound him. 

Plasmius turns to Dan, "Go get the girl. Feed her your ectoplasm and make sure she doesn't die!" Dan did as directed, but not without sending Plasmius an awkward look.

Plasmius flies right in front of the red beast. "Leave at once _souleater_ , or I will rip you apart myself!" He shouted angrily as red and purple ectoplasmic energy began coating from his hands in pure power. 

The red beast snarls at Plasmius, "You dare threaten me child?" The beast hunches over more, claws extending an inch longer prepared to fight. "Your soul will be devoured just like hers!" The beast was drooling now, green saliva leaving its giant maws.

"I highly doubt it." With a wave of his glowing red and purple hand, Plasmius sends an energy arch at the beast.

The red werewolf dodges out of the way and snarls, "That power..." The beast's eyes narrow glaring at Plasmius.

"That's only a fraction of what I can truly do!" Plasmius charges up both his hands, anger etches his face. 

The werewolf growls and attacks, lunging at the half ghost with three swipes of its claws. With every swipe of its claws, a new gaping hole appears only to vanish seconds later. Plasmius dances around the werewolf's attacks, knowing that one hit with those claws could end his life. In close proximity of hand-to-hand combat, Plasmius only goes for ectoplasmic charged punches and kicks. The red beast doing the same as he held his own against the hybrid's attacks. The werewolf blocks every punch and dodges every kick Plasmius delivers to him, leaving too small of a window to use his clawing ability.

Seeing the fight getting no where, Plasmius decides to change his battle tactic and parries a swipe of the beast's claws by kicking his arm, and then preforms a full roundhouse kick to the beast's face. The red werewolf staggers back, blindly feeling dizzy from the power behind the hit. Plasmius continues to beat on the werewolf, knowing he has the upper hand. One strong punch sent to the abdomen to make the werewolf winded, one kick to the head to make the beast more dizzy, three consecutive punches to the torso, a knee to the chin, and then finishes with a double handed ecto-blast.

The red beast was sent flying through the air and into the Clocktower's wall. The red werewolf's head hangs, unconscious, as its was body embedded in the exterior wall to the Clocktower. A web of cracks around its unconscious body.

Plasmius grins a cocky grin. "Serves you right!"

"Plasmius!"

"Yes- Ah!" Plasmius felt a hard blast to his chest. He felt himself flying, and then landing into familiar arms. "Dan?"

"I got you." Dan replies and turns to glare at the ghost that shot Plasmius. "Are you alright?" His question directed to his mate.

Plasmius looks in the same direction as his mate and catches sight of the ghost that got him. "I'll live." He corrects his flying position and readies for another fight. "Although I can't say the same for him."

* * *

Danny felt sick --sick to his stomach that is. After that blast had hit him, a sense of energy had Danny wanting to puke and choking on the air, even though he no reason to breathe. His sight began to clear more and catch his old familiar enemy fighting some _Wulf_ look-alike, but red.

Danny was shocked to see the old fruitloop give the beast the ol' one-two, but the way he finished him off has got Danny too amazed to even move. This version --or side, of Plasmius Danny had never seen before...was pretty cool. But it doesn't change the fact that the man had blasted him.

"How about a little payback!" Danny flies close to Plasmius and shoots off a powerful ecto-beam, catching the hybrid completely off-guard. He smirks in triumph as he sent his old enemy flying through the ghost zone, but frowns the moment when he saw Dan catching Plasmius in mid-flight.

After their small conversation Danny points to the ghosts. "Wait, hold up...You're both working...together?"

Plasmius was about to reply but Dan interrupts him. "A bit out-matched, aren't you?"

Danny took his time to notice that his friends weren't there by his side. "Shit!" He left them behind somewhere in the middle of the ghost zone in his haste to reach Danni. Wait --Danni? "Where's Danni?" 

Plasmius quickly realizes, "The girl!" He looks to the left, Danny following his sight.

"Danni!"

Both Plasmius and Danny takes off to reach her.

Danny glares at his old nemesis, "Oh, no you don't!" He shoots out an ecto-ray at Plasmius, only to be stopped by Dan's shield.

Dan flies in between Danny and Plasmius, using his body as a wall. "Your fight is with me."

"Get out of my way!" Danny throws a punch at Dan, followed by a kick.

Dan easily averts the punch and ducks underneath the kick. "You've gotten slower." He punches Danny in the chest, not enough to do much harm yet enough to make the teen stagger and think twice. 

Danny keeps his distance, prepared for another strike. He looks over Dan's shoulders and sees Plasmius hold and cradle Danni in his arms. 

"Don't even think about it!" Dan shoots a blast.

Danny diverts the attack with his hand. He hisses in pain and looks down as his burnt glove. "That was a horrible idea."

"No shit."

Danny looks up at Dan. "Why are you helping him? I thought you hated Vlad?"

Dan was confused. "Hated?"

Now Danny was confused. "Yeah, you hated Plasmius' guts the last time I checked."

"The last time _I_ checked, it was the exact  opposite." Dan crosses his arms, "Who told you that bunk information?"

"Even the slang is new," Danny mentions to himself. "What do you mean by opposite? You guys can't really be friends, right?"

Dan just grins.

"Well...shit." Danny frowns. He weighs his options. He could try attacking Dan to get to Danni, but that would also mean he have to go through Plasmius as well. He could also try going around, but that would be suicidal as not only would Dan give chase but Plasmius would also try to attack him. His third option would be to wait for his friends to arrive and back him up, but who know how long it will take them. The forth option would be his trump card, his ghostly wail. However with Danni's condition, it may not be wise to use it while she's around. He may just do more harm then good.

He'll just have to wait for back up then.

After a while, in silence, Dan peeks behind him, "What's taking you so long?" Danny notices the question was directed to Plasmius.

"Healing half-eaten souls takes more the just ectoplasm and concentration. It also takes patience and time!" Plasmius snidely remarks. "Something you obviously don't have."

Danny raises an eyebrow.

Dan grunts. "The boy's friends can show up at any moment."

"I will not leave this child unattended to and dying off to the side, with the well enough knowledge that I can do something about it. Now be quiet and let me do my job!" Vlad yells to Dan, running out of patience himself.

Danny speaks up, "What do you mean? Is Danni really dying?"

Plasmius sighs before answering. "Her soul was slowly being devoured by that giant red fur ball." He indicates with his head to the red werewolf stuck to the wall. "If I hadn't done what I did, you and this child would both be nothing more but, well...ectoplasm." Plasmius sighs again, feeling his power waning. "It's not enough. Dan I need your assistance."

"Not with the boy-

"Never mind then!" Plasmius looks over to Danny. "You, boy! Come over here!"

"Are you seri-

Dan was hushed with Plasmius' glare.

"Fine." Dan moves out of the way and nods to Danny. "No funny business."

Danny was confused by the transaction, but did as he was told and flies past Dan. He goes up to Plasmius and peers down at Danni in the older hybrid's arms. She was worse than he'd seen earlier, completely skeletal with her eye sockets pitch black. A frightening sight if Danny ever seen one, and this beats all of them.

"I need you to feed her ectoplasm until I fix her soul." Plasmius hands Danni body over to him, helping Danny cradle her small form in his arms. 

Danny held onto Danni's body and felt his body shiver at the contact. To see someone so filled with life -empty, it is devastating. Danny couldn't help but ask, "Will she be okay?"

"She'll be fine." Plasmius places his hands over her chest and allow his power to amplify. The amulet reacting to his call glows with expectancy and changes form from amethyst crested bronze to sapphire and ruby crested silver, the patterns becoming more swirl like. "That should...suffice." Black rings appear around Plasmius' body and separates, changing back to his human form.

Danny was caught off guard with Vlad's transformation, expecting the old fruitloop in his usual black and white suit with red bow. Instead he was greeted with a new kind of Vlad; jeans, boots, rolled up sleeves and loose white shirt.

"Dan..." Vlad faints, floating in mid-air.

Dan flies to capture Vlad and brings him into a hug, holding Vlad close to his body. He strokes his loose hair behind his ear and changes position with Vlad. He looks up to Danny, "Consider yourself lucky." He Grabs the edge of his cape with his free hand and flings it over his shoulder, the cape becoming in enlarge with size and covers both Dan and Vlad. The cape twists and turns, twirling as a cloud of red ectoplasm evaporates their being; teleportation.

Danny floats with Danni in his arms, confused and staring at where his enemies once were. He looks down at his clone in his arms, feeling her energy slowly returning to her. He smiles seeing her color returning to her face, eyes closed but back to normal, the claw marks were no longer there as ectoplasm slowly returns to her body.

She groans in discomfort, but doesn't wake up.

"Danny!"

Danny looks over his shoulder and sees his friends rushing towards him. He flies over to his friends, holding Danni close in his arms and careful not to wake her.

Tucker presses his fingers against the Fenton phones. "You alright Danny? We heard screaming and someone fighting." 

Sam was worried, ready to jump out of the Speeder Specter if need to be. "You're not hurt are you? Wait, is that..?"

"Danni's hurt. I need to give her a shot of the ecto-dejecto."

Tucker points to Danny's glove, the white edges burnt and singed. "Dude what happened?"

"I'll explain, just open the door and let me in." Danny flies around the Specter Speeder and waits in front the door at the side of the vehicle.

* * *

Dan had teleported both he and Vlad as close to their home as much as possible without spending more than half of his energy. He flies the rest of the way home, planning to take care of his mate.

He flies through the house, using intangibility to bypass the walls leading all the way up to one of the nearest untouched bedroom and gently lays Vlad down. He takes off the man's shoes and sheds off his jacket as Dan eye's kept going back to the amulet from time to time. He lifts the blanket to the bed, tucks Vlad in and leaves the room in silence.

Dan was troubled, and not just an ordinary troubled, he was worried. Danny had found out about Vlad's existence and will soon come for him. He knows it's just a matter of time before the entire ghost zone knows about his bonding with Vlad. They will come after him, threaten him, gain an advantage in using his mate against him. All of his rivals and enemies will come to strike when Dan is at his weakest.

Then he will have no choice but to obey.

No, he has to be strong. He has to protect his mate and the amulet he wears.

The amulet had changed dramatically by just reviving a soul. Dan had watched the amulet change over the course of two years, thinking it will progress slowly...

Instead, the amulet had jumped two stages and landed right in the middle.

Dan walks inside the laboratory and stares at the ghost portal leading to the human world. It's swirling green hypnotizing to the eye. "Damn...What the hell am I doing?"

He let two black rings form around his waist, separating vertically toward opposite ends of his body. His flaming white hair becomes black with a white streak going down the middle from hairline to nape; bangs hanging past his cheeks as the rest of his hair was in a neat mid-height pony tail. His skin becomes a healthy peach and his eyes become a cerulean blue with a thin layer of red around the outer rims of the iris. His villainous outfit and cape transforms into a black and white suite, with a red diagonal stripped tie and complimentary pocketed handkerchief. Deep Red Suede laser cut Paisley Shoes hugged his feet nicely as the black soles gave the color a richer texture.

Dan takes out a short white toothed comb from his pocket and combs back his bangs, revealing the hairline he inherited from Vlad Masters. He gives his hair a touch of backcombed bangs with a few strands curling out, giving his head a bit of a wavy look. He looks to the side, to see himself in the reflection of the metal wall. "Damn, don't I look good."

"Quite delicious actually."

Dan turns around and sees a blue hooded cloaked green ghost, leaning against the door frame, a smirk on her face as her grey ghost tail whips around back and forth. And her eyes...

Purple.

Dan sneers at the female specter. "Nilla."

"Hello Dan Masters. Long time, no see." Nilla's smile grows with acknowledgment.

"What do you want?"

"My master wishes to know the progress of the amulet."

Dan looks at the female specter with skepticism. "Silver..." That was all that needed to be said.

Nilla frowns and flies closer to the man. "How? It's too soon." She said sternly, her eyes blaming the ghost before her.

"Tell that to the amulet." He sighs, "Look after Vlad while I'm gone. I have some business to take care of."

"Going after the boy won't change anything." She flies around the large male blocking his way to the portal, her purple eyes narrowing at him. "You need to stick to the plan! Otherwise-

"Otherwise we lose." He waves his hand at her, shooing her away. "I get it, but you don't know this kid like I do. He's going to come back. And once he does, so will the rest of his buddies and tag-alongs! Getting rid of him now will put a save check on the plan"

Nilla flies to the side letting the man pass her. "If you don't return within the day, I will take Vlad away from you _and_ off your hands. Regardless of him being your mate."

Dan turns around to face her, glaring with red eyes. "You can't do that! He is mine and mine alone!"

Nilla smiles, "The amulet does all." She folds her arms behind her back, smug. "It shouldn't take long, right? All you have to do is return before the next day break -earth time, and Vlad will still be yours."

Dan still continues to glare at the female specter, unsure if he wanted to leave now. He looks back at the portal, contemplating his decision. He could return before the next day, whether or not he gotten rid of the boy or not. He looks back at Nilla slightly frowning, "Look after him while I'm gone..." He turns around and walks through the portal. The gate left open.

Nilla grins, "Don't take _too long_ Dan Masters..."

 

A maniacal laughter echoes throughout the basement lab.

 


	9. Caged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan heads off to fight Danny, to finally kill his predecessor. He has done all if this to protect his mate. To ensure no harm comes for him. And yet, he can't go home...and his time was up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *AHEM!*  
> Danny Phantom timeline doesn't really makes sense besides what their age was and their single summer break from school. So I just relied on the time the show aired (April 3, 2004) and gave myself a place on "when" to work on (within 2007). So mentioning George W. Bush in this chapter would give me a better idea where time stands. Please don't take anything personal when it comes down to it politically, I was just desperate for a timeline and picked the most convenient one.

Danny was sitting in the back of the specter speeder, tending to Danni. He had her head on his lap, brushing her bangs out of her face. Sam was driving the vehicle back home with Tucker still in the passenger seat. Nocturne was outside flying next to the Speeder Specter, talking to his henchmen. His henchmen then leaves, four of them flying off into different directions.

"What's he doing?" Sam looks over to Tucker, her dark skin friend looking at Nocturne.

Sam turns to Nocturne, watching the large spirit ordering his minions around. "I don't know." Sam looks into her review mirror and looks back at Danny. "How's Danni?"

Danny looks up and answers his girlfriend, "She's sleeping for now. I'm just worried of the long term effects." A bit of weight in his voice can be heard, a sigh just a breath away.

She was asleep, her little snores barely audible to the ears. She was in her human form, still a twelve year old little girl with that of a much older mind. Her hair was longer than he last remembered, reaching down to her hip. Not to mention -her clothes. It's  a wonder in how she got them, but they were brand new within today's fashion. 

She wore same type of beanie and shoes however both where black and white. The beanie having the word "Like A BOSS" across the front. A blue denim "torn" jacket hoodie covers her entire torso with the non-denim parts being white. Instead of the usual red shorts, there was now loose fitting brown Capri ending three inches below the kneecaps. And let's not forget the barely noticeable Fiona Adventure Time* pin over her left breast.

Danny lightly smiles to himself as he thought of the meaning behind the pin.

"How is she doing?" Sam peeks into the rear-view mirror, still trying to keep her eye out as she drives.

"She's getting better." Danny thinks for a quick second, "Are you going to keep asking every five minutes?"

Tucker peers over the seat, "So mind telling us what happened?"

"You want the long or short version?" He can't seem to stop touching Danny's hair, the long pony tail soft as silk.

"Short version." Both Tucker and Sam said in unison.

"Well, I saw Vlad."

"WHAT!?" They both said again in unison.

"Yeah, and Dan was working with him."

"Dude." Tucker's eyes were wide, not believing the words Danny had spoke.

"I thought Dan hated Vlad?" Sam quickly gazes back, trying to get sneak-peeks of her boyfriend's face while driving at the same time.

"I thought so too." Danny looks down at Danielle. "There was some Wulf look-alike, but it was red. It attacked Danni and was... _'_ _eating her soul'_." Danny finger quoted the last words. "Vlad fought and beat the monster into a pulp, _and_ saved Danni. Dan was just there trying to keep Plasmius safe. We fought, but- they were just concentrated on saving Danni."

"Okay, one of those things you said must be a lie." Sam looks at Tucker, giving up on trying to look at Danny. "Vlad had always want to destroy Danni, and why would Dan keep Vlad safe? It's not like the guy couldn't handle himself."

Tucker leans more against the seat, his arm over the edge. "If they were working together, it means there's a evil scheme no far behind. Dan wants to turn you evil," He points at Danny, and then starts listing down on his fingers, "destroy the world, kill Vlad for making him the way he was, and rule the entire ghost zone! That is P-U-R-E evil."

"Vlad's no different!" Sam starts ranting. "He **almost** succeeded in taking over the world! Stole the infi-map more times I like to count, stole the money he so called _earned_ , try to kill your dad at every opportunity, obsessed over you and your mother, cloned **you** , nearly _destroyed_ **you** , captured _and-or_ tortured **you --** same with Danielle, manipulated anyone who crossed his path, and cheated his way into almost everything just to gain more power!"

"That's a bigger list than Dan's, but you get our point." Tucker shifts his position in the seat, trying to face both Danny and Sam. "Those guys are bad news, and working together can only spell _Catastrophe_ in bold, underlining, capitalized words in Goudy Stout font size 72."

Both Sam and Danny gives Tucker weird looks.

"What? Is it a crime to know every available font size and type." He points to himself. "I am _mayor_ after all."

Both Sam and Danny shrug not really caring.

"Guys, I understand what you're saying but I don't think that's the case." Danny thinks back on Dan and Vlad, "I got a different _vibe_ or...something -I don't know, but it was different when I saw those two." He recalls the way Dan had treated Vlad, tucking the man's hair behind his ear. A light blush appears on Danny's face but he dispels the thought quickly, not wanting to look too deep into it. "It was more like Dan was Vlad's body guard."

"Well, that doesn't sound good." Tucker takes out his PDA, typing a few notes down. 

There was a knock on the Specter Speeder's window. Sam slows the vehicle down to a stop and sees Nocturne hovering before them.

Danny changes into Phantom and flies out of the Specter Speeder, using intangibility to pass through the vehicles metal. "What's up?"

Nocturne brings his hands together, "My Sleepwalkers has told me of a disturbance back at my keep. If you don't mind, I wish for us to part ways so I must deal with this...troublesome menace."

"Sure, no prob." Danny waves his hands, "We were heading back to Amity Park anyways."

"Of Course, " He starts to fly but stops mid way, "Oh-and another thing. Whatever happened when you left, must not be repeated again." Danny was slightly stunned. "That power I told of you before, had only increased twice as mush. Whether it was this Dan fellow or Vlad Masters as you spoke of, it must have belonged to one of them. The red were-beast was not the source of the power I've felt." He flies off the his last words barely caught caught under his breath, "I'll send one of my Sleepwalkers if anything were to occur on our side."

"Yeah, " Danny flies back to the Speeder, "Let's go home guys." He gets in the back and changes once more to Danny.

He picks up Danni and moves her body where her head once more was comfortable on his lap. His left leg sticks out as his right tucks nicely underneath his left. He goes back to brushing Danni's hair, feeling tired and wary as much as his clone. Danni smiles in her rest, rolling on her side as she gets closer to the hand petting her head. It was around this moment Danny can feel the last of his reserves waning to empty. With a yawn, Danny leans back against the wall and starts to sleep. Tucker goes back to typing on his PDA, his mind on something else. Sam just concentrates on driving back home, allowing the silence to take over.

They were done for today.

* * *

Dan walks through the portal and looks around the area he was in. Surrounding the portal was a large missing plot of land, a huge crater about twenty feet deep was evident enough for that. There was a drive way connected to the crater at the front; its path heads deep into the forest only to disappear over the horizon. Behind him was a large lake, its beautiful blue-green colors reflexes the sunlight off its surface.

Dan knew this place. This was where the castle use to be, but that was back in the ghost zone where his mate was now residing. A task only the amulet could pull off.

This also meant he was in Wisconsin, a long way from Amity Park.

Dan looks around, his ghost senses stretching as far as it can. He was looking for any witness, peeping eyes that might catch him about what he was going to do next. Not finding anything, Dan relaxes a bit. He teleports away, a red cloud covers his entire being only to evaporate seconds later.

Dan ends up behind a building, the stench of city air makes him scrunch up his nose. He walks out from behind the building and makes his way into the store, the sign saying 'ACE HARDWARE' in bold red lettering. The store's chimes goes off as he enters, alerting the store clerk from behind the counter.

The clerk was an old man, looking between his sixties and eighties. "Need anything son?"

Dan smirks and walks up to the old man, "Do you have anything for building a very big box. I'm starting a garden in my backyard that my wife would _love_ to see."

"Sure thing, son. How big of a box we're talkin' 'bout?" The clerk leaves from behind the counter, his keys jingling on his waist.

Dan hums, "About my size, but more on the narrow side." He follows the clerk through the store.

"That some serious gardening." The old man picks up a few boards, rope, and a shovel. "Anything else?"

"Yes, do you know where I can find a garden store?" Dan couldn't help but smile.

* * *

The drive didn't take long, making it through the portal and parking the Speeder deep in the lab. Tucker leaves the basement and sticks around in the kitchen on his phone, talking to secretary. Sam wakes Danny, gently nudging her boyfriend. He wakes up and carries Danni up stairs with him. Once in his room Danny lays Danni on his bed, taking off her shoes, and then tucks her in his bed.

Danny makes his way back downstairs and sees both Tucker and Sam relaxing on the couch. He makes his way towards Sam and plops on the couch next to her, wrapping his long arms around her waist. He rubs his face on her shoulder, "Is the portal closed?"

"Yup." She clicks the remote, changing the channel. "Can you believe Bush is still president?"

"Two more years," Tucker says off-handily, "Hopefully our next president isn't as bad."

Sam clicks her tongue, "Next president better deal with the crisis - _that is_ \- our economy."

Danny squeezes Sam's waist. "Don't start that."

"Start what?"

" _That_...whenever something political pops up, you go into this _episode_ and don't stop until me or Tucker agree to your madness." He peers over his girlfriend's shoulder to look her in the eyes. "Then you call out on all the mistakes that affects the country as a whole."

"It's not my fault that every-

"No." Danny picks Sam up and puts her on his lap. "Silencing you now."

"You guys should underst-

Danny starts kissing Sam's neck, getting around the jacket's collar. Sam flinches and squirms in her boyfriend's lap. "Danny-! No hickeys!"

Danny stops kissing and pouts, "I don't even know how to make one!"

Tucker chuckles, "Danny doesn't watch porn."

Sam freezes and quickly looks at her boyfriend. "You don't-?"

Danny opens his mouth, but Tucker beats him to the punch. "No, he's more of a pin-up type of guy. Bikinis and underwear, but no where close to nudity."

"TUCKER~!" Danny's face becomes a full scarlet, embarrassed beyond belief by his best friend.

Sam just laughs and turns around in her boyfriend's lap, both of her legs on each side. "That just makes me the more experienced one." She kisses him on the lips, a smile on her face.

" _Sam_..."Danny frowns, his face still a bit red. "Why is everyone teaming up against me?"

"Because we love you." Both Sam and Tucker said.

The alarm goes off, the shrilling sound startles all three teens to leap off the couch. They rush to the window and look outside.

Dan was bashing against the shield, ecto-charged punch after ecto-charged punch. "C'mon out Phantom!" He starts blasting at the shield, red cytoplasm burning bright against the dull green. He stops, his red eyes locking onto the three teenagers in the window. " _Ah_...There you are. Why don't you come out and finish what I started?" He takes a deep breath, leaning back a bit.

Danny quickly changes into Phantom and grabs his friends. "GET DOWN!"

Dan releases a Ghost Wail. The concrete below his feet cracks, the shield shatters, and all glass objects inside the house breaks into tiny pieces. Any technology with ectoplasm breaks with pops of electricity and fire, the weapons and defense system malfunctioning. The siren shuts down and the house goes into a blackout.

Tucker and Sam stands up and turn to Danny. "Dude, when was Dan this powerful?"

Danny shrugs, panicking a bit himself. "I don't know! This is entirely new to me!"

Dan laughs to himself and walks up to the house.

Seeing the ghost making his way up to the house, Danny shakes off his nerves and orders his friends around. "Tucker try to get the power back up. Sam get as much weapons as you can. I'll distract Dan as long as I can." They break off. Sam runs up the stairs and heads towards the roof, Tucker runs into the basement, Danny flies a bit outside the house and lands on the sidewalks. He faces his enemy head on.

Dan stops walking and laugh, "So...the hero faces off against me. Any chance your friends will join us?"

Danny glares, his hands starting to glow green. "I'll give you chance to surrender quietly and go back to the ghost zone."

Dan shrugs, "Sure."

Danny blinks at the ghost, the energy around his hands dissipating. "Really?"

"Yeah, why not?" He crouches, a foot moving lightly behind him. "After I kill you." Dan charges.

Danny saw a blinding flash of white as Dan punched him. He barely registeres the fact he was sent flying, crashing into the brick wall and feeling the impact vibrate througout his entire being. His vision swirls and fades in and out. 

Tucker runs over to the generator, the ecto convertor and ectoplasm filtration connecting to the Ghost Portal were both busted and destroyed by eruption. "Oh, man."

Tucker puts on the Fenton phones and calls Sam.

Sam finally reaches the OP center her eyes a quickly locking onto the armory. She runs over to the security pad lock and taps in the code.

DENIED.

"Damn It." She bangs the machine. The Fenton Phones beeps in her pocket. She takes them out and answers. "Tucker?"

"Yeah- we have a problem. The generator's completely destroyed. There's no saving it."

"Yeah? Well, I can't get into the armory."

"Wait, why are you getting into the armory when you're better at engineering then I am?"

"Switch?"

"Switch." Both teens run through the house, switching objectives.

Outside, Dan was laughing. The entire fight, he's rushing the boy and beating on him at every opportunity. Danny could only defend himself, dodging and blocking. Dan was so much faster than him, and he doesn't pull punches. What's scary is that Danny knew the ghost was after more then just blood, he kept aiming for his vital parts.

Danny blocks a kick to his face. Dan fires off an ecto -blast, hitting the teen in the chest.

"Ah!" Danny falls to the earth, a creator forms from his impact.

Before the teen could even recover, Dan flies down and grabs the teen by his neck. He picks him up about a foot off the ground and then slams him back down with all the force he could muster. Again, again, and again he bashes Danny into the earth. The concrete surrounding the creator grows bigger from each bashing, crumbling beneath the force.

Satisfied and Danny limp in his hand, Dan drops the teen hearing a loud groan. He then places his foot on the boy's head, the heel of his boot grinds against the hybrids cheek. "I should've done this when I first had the chance." He conjures up a sword made of ectoplasm, the weapon a blood red. "A shame...I'm sure Vlad would love to see you squirm." He points the blade where Danny's heart should be, but in his ghost form it was his core.

Danny, feeling the ghostly blade hot against his chest, starts to struggle. "NO!" He grabs the ghost's boot, trying to move him off but to no avail.

"GO INTANGIBLE!"

Danny obeys the order and sinks into the earth. He comes back up, rubbing at his chest. "...ah, burns..." There was a large green gash where the sword touched him.

"Son are you alright?"

Danny turns to look at his father, "Yeah, thanks for the quick thinking dad." He looks back at Dan and gets into his fighting position, just like he learned from his mother. "Where mom?"

Jack aims his bazooka at Dan, "Fighting a class 4, slippery fella. Where are your friends?"

"Tucker's working on the power, and Sam is getting weapons."

"Enough talk!" Dan splits into two. One goes for Danny as the other fights Jack. "I came here to kill you!" The fist copy blasts Danny in the abdomen, sending the hybrid skidding against the concrete. "And I will accomplish my goal!" The second copy teleport behind Jack and rips the bazooka from his hand, crushing it into pieces. "No matter what it takes!" The first copy swings his plasma sword at Danny's head, missing as the hybrid ducked. "Even if I have to end you and your father!" The second clone punches Jack in the gut and then the face, bruising the human with every swing. "After I kill you..." The first clone swings the sword and then follows up with a blast, hitting Danny after he dodged the sword. "...then I'll kill your family." The second clone grabs Jack by his throat and squeezes **hard**. "Or maybe I'll kill your father now."

"Dad!" Danny gets back to his feet, "You get away from him!" Danny creates his own plasma sword, the weapon a bright green. He slices at Dan, Dan just having enough time to block with his sword.

"You finally snapped out of it? Good. It will be all that much _sweeter_ after your destruction." He headbutts Danny.

Danny reels back, gripping his nose as green ectoplasm runs from his nose. He shakes out of his dizzy spell and charges at Dan again. Swords both red and green clash against one another, ectoplasmic sparks erupts from the swords with each clash. Danny was fighting for his life and his father's, as Dan was just laughing -LAUGHING! The ghost was enjoying their fight, not once pulling his punches or going light with his strikes. Dan goes for a thrust, aiming for Danny's head but the teen moves to the side and goes for a punch to the face. Dan grabs Danny's fist just inches from his face.

Dan laughs more, "Is that all boy?"

Danny smiles, "No, I was counting on it."

"Huh?" That wiped the smile off of Dan's face.

With a single powerful surge of energy, Danny summons up his ice powers and freezes Dan. The ice was a flash freeze, instantly engulfing Danny's hand and travels up and over Dan's arm, until it covered his entire body. The ghost, stuck and unable to move, freezes with the look of surprise and shock locked on his face.

Danny rips his fist out of the ice and turns to father. "Dad!" Danny throws down his sword, the blade disintegrating into green smoke, and blasts the second Dan with both hands.

"AH!" Dan goes flying off of Jack, crashing into the next building over.

Jack coughs and sucks in as much air as he could. "Dan-cough-ny..." He coughs a few more times and takes more air in. Danny flies over toward his father and helps the man to his feet. "Thanks, Danny-m'boy. Now..." He digs into his suit and pulls out the Fenton Ghost Gauntlets, the metal gloves glow with green energy. "...round two."

Dan stands back up and stomps out of the wreckage. "I was planning to take my time and have a bit of fun. Now, you've made me mad." Dan splits into two more ghosts, the third clone shoots the frozen Dan and frees him. The first clone flies up and splits into two as well. Now there were four clones, four Dan's grinning from ear to ear. "Now we aren't holding back." The first and third clone breaks from the other two, flying inside the house.

"Oh-no. Tucker! SAM!" Danny flies after the first two clones and gets blasted from the side.

"Pay attention boy!" Jack shouts just when he punches the clone that blasted Danny. He puts himself between the ghost clones and Danny. "Take out these ghosts first, before you go after the rest! Your friends can take care," he blocks an oncoming blast with one of the gauntlets and then deflects the second blast, "themselves!" He grabs the ghost's cape and flings him into the other building across the street.

Danny takes his father's words seriously and jumps back into the fray. 

Inside, down in the basement, Sam was tossing items around. She was in a frantic search to find something. "Why can't I find anymore? There has got to be some somewhere!"

"Mind if I help?" The Dan clone sticks out his glowing hand.

Sam quickly looks up and leaps off to the side, dodging a blast. The blast destroys the tables, paper and materials goes up in flames. All except for one cylinder that rolls in front of Sam's feet. "Oh," she picks it up smiling, "Thanks!"

She runs out of the basement with Dan on her heels.

Tucker meets up with Sam I'm the living room, strapped head to toe with weapons. "Sam!" He tosses a gun she catches it.

Sam flips the living room table on its side and starts blasting. Tucker just passes weapons and activates the sentry weapons on his PDA. Both Dan clones just laugh at their efforts, destroying the sentries and dodging with ease.

"Hey, uglies!"

Both clones turn around to face Danni Phantom. Her entire body was glowing a threatening green aura with blue eyes.

"Made you look!" She blasts both clones, the power packing more than just a punch. They both had frozen over, their bodies cast in think ice. Danni then focus her energy on two of her fingers and slices her hand through the air, whip of ectoplasm slices through the frozen clones. Destroying the ice and killing the clones. She flies in front of Sam and Tucker dusting off her hands. "Done and done. Hey there, Sam. Hey, Tucker." She waves at them.

"Danni!" They both run up to the little clone and hug her.

"Dude," Tucker was on the verge of tears. "You saved our butts. And where did you learn that move? That was so awesome."

Sam was the first to lean out of the hug. "We're glad you're okay."

Danni backs all the way out of the hug. "Where's cuz?" She look around in search of Danni.

"Outside fighting more evil clones." Tucker points his thumb outside.

"Okay, I'll help cousin out." She hovers a bit above them. "You guys just stay here." She flies out the house and spots Danny struggling in a battle against a evil clone. Mr. Fenton was not fairing so well either. But something was off about this... "Where's the real one?" She looks around not seeing the ghost in sight. 

She could use this to her advantage.

She builds up her energy once more, her body glowing more in color. Her eyes glowing blue as she points her hands at the two ghosts.

Danny barely blocks another blast, his arms burning from the attack. He takes a quick look at the damage and notice green ectoplasm leaking from brunt gloves. He wasn't going to last for much longer, Danny can feel his reserves getting low. Right now, it was taking most of Danny's energy not to transform back into his human half.

Dan charges another attack, this time enough to kill on impact. His other hand summons a red ectoplasmic sword. "End of the line." He charges with the sword first, forcing Danny to dodge. Dan saw this coming and lands his other hand on Danny's chest, the built up energy was hot enough to burn upon touch. Danny stares in awe-struck horror, knowing he couldn't dodge -couldn't react fast enough to go intangible. He closes his eyes, squeezing them shut preparing for the inevitable. 

A loud blast goes off, then silence.

There was a tiny girly giggle. "You can open your eyes cousin." Danny opens his eye to see a frozen Dan with Danni floating right behind him. She had a smile of relief. "Cutting it pretty close, huh."

Danny falls and plops down in the middle of the street. Two white rings form over his body, transforming back into Danny Fenton. "Yeah, _really_ close." He releases a breath and feels like breaking down, tears threatening to spill. "Thanks for the save."

"That's what family's for." She shrugs. With a charged fist, she shatters the iced Dan, killing the clone. "Come in," she sticks out her hand, "It's not over yet."

Danny takes her hand and gets to his feet. "One more go. I'm going ghost!" He summons the two familiar rings around his body, feeling the struggle of expanse energy. "Whoa, that's-

"Yeah, I saw that too." She points to where she saw the white transformation rings. "Are you sure you can still keep fighting?"

Danny looks at his clone. "I'm fine. As long I don't use ecto-rays or blast. Right now I just want to end this." Danny turns his head just in time to see his dad destroy the other frozen Dan clone.

* * *

In the shadows, not two blocks away from the Fenton Works compound, Dan makes his silent get away. He was weak and on the verge of losing the last of his reserves. He had used a lot of energy into creating that clone, and even more so to keep them all sustained so they wouldn't just up and evaporate after the first punch.

He was so close, the taste of victory right at the tip of his tongue. Only to be swept away by some second rate clone Vlad had saved hours ago. Irony couldn't be any more definitive than the ass whooped he took seconds ago. He knew he should've left the brat to her demise and stayed home. Now, he has no one but to blame himself. He should've seen this coming - in way. 

"Found you!"

Dan freezes and turns around to face Danni and Phantom glaring him.

Without second thought Dan turns invisible and flies as fast as he could. Both Phantoms hot on his tail.

"You can't hide from us! We can we can sense you!" Danny declares. By proving his statement, Danni fires an ecto-ray at Dan.

Dan dodges the blast, becoming visible. "Shit." He uses the last of his reserves to teleport.

He lands outside of Amity Park next to the observatory. "Damn," he falls to the ground on both hands and knees. "That's was overkill..." He was panting, his left hand hovers over his core as he feels his body weakening.

There was a cock and whine of a gun.

Dan looks up and frowns, "Oh -! You've got to be shit-

Dan was tazed and then sucked into a Thermos. He shouts at the top of lungs and bangs against the metal walls of the tiny space, wanting nothing more but to break out and return to his mate. He has to get back!

"No!"

* * *

Agent M seals the Thermos with its designated cap. He puts two fingers up to his ears, "Target acquired. Returning to base." He nods to his partner Agent O.

"Hold it!" Danny lands in front of the Guys in White. "Where are you taking him?" Danni floats just behind him, cautious and distrusting of the men in uniform.

"Classified." Agent M answered.

"A secured facility." Agent O answered.

"He's our catch! You can't just-

"Technically speaking, we captured him." He emphasized toward the Thermos, shaking it around. "Not you. Now this detainee is within government hands."

"You can't do this-!"

"By law we can, _will_ , and **did**. You're the one that's out of bounds Phantom!" He jabs his finger in the teens chest. The next words leaves his mouth like a hissing snake, "And by law you're still a citizen. Or do we have to call Protocol H-G on your ass?"

Danny hesitated, opening and closing his mouth as anger display fully into rage. But with one deep breath Danny answers, "No... _sir_." Danny summons his rings and turns back into Fenton.

Protocol H-G, also known as Protocol Hybrid-Ghost, is a law in when facing a situation of a half-ghost (or anything co-relating) making terroristic threats entitles government officials and law enforcement(s) to declared said antagonist as an official ghost or "unknown entity". This rule was created just in case when another global take over, much like what Vlad had done, happens and the government can act accordingly without hesitation and chaos. There was also another law "dictating" captured ghosts. In Danny's case, it was the bane of his existence because the laws gave more power to the Guys In White, restricting Danny's power when it came to ghosts in general.  

Danny can understand why Sam hates the government.

"Good. Now, if you don't mind telling me about the ghost and the girl behind you." Agent M was smirking, the bastard. 

Danny smirks in return, "I have the right to remain silent." Oh yes, two can play at this game.

Both the agents frowned. Agent M tucks away the Thermos, "We'll take our leave."

As the agents left Danny turns around and punches the observatory's wall, a dent forming in the metal. "DAMN IT!"

* * *

Twenty four hours had passed...

Nilla was smiling watching as the last second was up. "Poor Masters...must have got caught up." She flies a round, turning towards the stairwell.

She quietly makes her way into Vlad's bedroom and taps the man on his shoulder. 

Vlad stirs, mumbling under his breath as he did so. "Dan..?"

"No, I'm not Dan."

Vlad jumps in his bed, bolting to an up right position. "Who are you? Where is my mate?"

"My name is Nilla, and I am a friend of your mate Dan." She introduced herself. "He left in in a hurry and has yet to return. I fear he was captured by a group of ghost hunters." She spoke with a sad tone. "He told me to take care of you in case anything happens to him." 

Vlad was skeptical of the female, "He never spoke of you."

Nilla looks down at the amulet. "I am the guardian of the Amulet of Mentis." She points to the amulet. "If you don't believe me, you can use the power yourself to see truth."

Vlad places a hand over the amulet, a bit self conscious. "No, I believe you." He flings the blanket off his body and gets his shoes back on. "Did my mate said anything about where he went?"

"He said something about Amity Park and a ghost child named Phantom." She sounded a bit worried, her fingers starts to play with the edges of her hood.

"Alright," he stands up after tying the last shoes lace, he then throws on his jacket and addresses to the ghosts. "Don't wait up for me." Two black rings forms around his waist and splits in opposite directions, becoming Plasmius. The amulet glows brightly, purple neon reflects off the silver surface. Vlad concentrates on the power, "To Amity Park."

Nilla reaches for Vad, "No-wait!" It was too late, Vlad blinks out of existence. "Oh...shoot!" She hufffs as she crosses her arms. "Things are not going as planned!"

Vlad lands roughly in the center of Amity Park, landing on his rear with cape covering his face. Brushing the cape aside, he gets to his feet and looks around. He gazes around, noting the blue sky and ectoplasmic-less atmosphere. "So strange..." He breathes, "I feel like I know this place."

"Vlad, is that you?"

Plasmius turns around and faces a red head beauty dressed in a real hazamat suit. A large weapon in her right hand and a Thermos in the other. " _Yes_...Do I know you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Fionna, Adventure Time:  
> "I thought 'hey won't this be hilarious, but a bit close to home'. For those who don't know, Fionna is a fictional character created from the Ice King from his fan-fiction 'Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake', inspired by the heroes Finn and Jake of 'Adventure Time'. The Ice King is a lonely creepy weirdo that preys on the only thing he can not have: princesses. Finn is the hero that is always there to stop him whenever the old man was up to his old schemes. I thought of the Ice King being much like Vlad Masters, and Danny Fenton being Finn. Vlad, the creepy lonely weirdo, was greatly inspired by Danny and created Danni from his genes. Therefore, making Fionna much like Danielle but without the much perverted pretenses. Lol."


	10. Misguided

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valerie had taken a detour through the Forbidden Zone, and Vlad meets Maddie...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is taking longer than I thought...so I'm just posting as is and will be back later to extend or fix...

This was too easy...After Danny had taken off with both Sam and Nocturn following, she sneaks off taking a little detour. 

This was a one chance of a life time opportunity.

She hovers her way through the ghost zone, passing structures and odd floating objects. Her sensors goes off detecting another ghost not far. Looking around she spots a ghost in a blue cloak flying quickly in one direction. Curious, Valerie follows.The farther she follows and darker the ghost zone seems to be.

Then something on her suit starts beeping. She looks down and presses a few buttons, "The readings are off the charts. What kind of area is this?"

"Who are you?"

Valerie halts her hover board, nearly smacking into- "Fright Knight?!"

Fright Knight tugs on Nightmare's reins, the Soul Shredder pointing dangerously at her. He lifts one ghostly brow. "Yes, it is I! Fright Knight, the Spirit of Halloween!" The Soul Shredder's power increases, green flames becomes a blaze. Now address yourself knave, or you will feel the sting of my blade as your worst fears come to life!"

Valerie takes off her helmet and flips her hair out of her face.

"Ah! It's the lady Valerie." He sheaths his sword, petting Nightmare's mane to calm her down. "I apologize for not recognizing you my dear lady. What brings you here?"

"I was following a ghost and..." She looks around not recognizing the area. "...got a little lost."

"On the hunt are we?"

"Ye-no-Yes?" She thinks again. "Do you know anything about _ghostly_..." She hunches her shoulders, unsure how to ask the question, "...legends or stories about powerful ghosts that can -oh, I don't know- increase their own strength without the need of ectoplasm?"

Fight Knight narrows his eyes and hums. He closes his eyes and rubs his chin, thinking... "Hm..." He leans his head down, crossing his arms over his chest. "Ghosts that gain power without ectoplasm..?" He looks up and tilts his head slightly to the side. "Yes, that is quite a conundrum. Hm..?" 

Valerie holds up her hands. "It's okay if you don't know."

"It got it!" Valerie jumps as Fright snaps his fingers. "You can ask Ghost Writer. The librarian doesn't leave his library, but he will be able to provide answers others cannot."

"Do you know where I could find this _Ghost Writer_?"

"Yes," He points past her head, "About fifteen minutes that way. The library is much a size of a college. You can't miss it."

Valerie puts her helmet back on, and then waves. "Thanks Fright Knight!" She slowly turns around.

"Of course my lady! Also, my I advise you to never hunt alone. The ghost zone is perilous and known for the unknown. I wouldn't want any harm to come to... _thee_."

"Sure, yeah -thanks." She speeds off in the direction Fright Knight pointed.

In a swirl of green ectoplasm Fight Knight and Nightmare disappears, as Nilla floats in place. She huffs. "That was too close. Must be more careful." She flies off continuing her course to the Masters' Castle.

* * *

"Vlad, is that you?"

Plasmius turns around and faces a red head beauty dressed in a teal hazmat suit. A large weapon in her right hand and a Thermos in the other. "Yes...Do I know you?"

The woman's face was stuck on a look of surprise, and then she pulls the top part of her suit over her face, red and black goggles in place. She aims the bazooka, the gun whining to fire. "Maybe this will remind you!" She rapid fires multiple shots, green ectoplasm after green ectoplasm.

"YIPE!" Vlad takes off in flight and dodges blast after blast. "What's wrong with you woman!?" He dodges again as a blast goes over his head.

" ** _You_ ** are what's wrong with me!" She reloads, bazooka ready to fire again.

Vlad growls, "I don't even know you!" He lands back on the earth, but with more distance between them.

"Lair!" She fires again.

Vlad deflects the blast with his hand, frowning. The amulet starts to glow, "And I would like it if you stop shooting at me!" He sticks his hand out, hand glowing purple.

"Huh-What?" The weapon glows purple and vanishes from her hand. She looks up to see the same weapon in Plasmius' hand.

He tosses it off to the side not caring where it went. "May we speak like civilized intelligent creatures?"

"Save your lies for someone else who cares." She takes out a mechanical staff from her belt and twirls it around. "Hwaa!" She leaps at him, weapon over head "HYAHH!"

Plasmius sighs and becomes intangible, the staff goes completely through him. "Can we _not_ do this?"

She reaches for her belt, the dial on the side is turned to " _ghost mode_ ". She swings her weapon again and smacks Plasmius against the head.

"Ah!" He rubs his head. "How in the-AH!"

The woman kept swinging her staff, hitting Plasmius with every hit while he was intangible. It wasn't until he saw the upper cut came that Plasmius started blocking. She was fast, quick, and experienced. He could tell of how she could still try to outmaneuver him and land hits as he was intangible. After blocking and diverting a few of her swings, did she start mixing it up. Where he blocks the staff from hitting him, she punches his open areas. Where he diverts a block, she kicks and knees him around and above the waist. After another close call hit to his head, Plasmius grabs the staff and diverts the woman's punch.

"Enough!"

The woman smiles as she presses a button on the side of the staff.

Vlad looks at the button, "You bi-ngh!" It was a second too late. Electricity pours out of the staff and into his body, his core fighting against the odd energy surging through him. His eyes squeezed closed and teeth clinched, Plasmius felt his body giving into the force. His core...god his core felt like it was being cut and stabbed, torn and stretched in ways most agonizing. He can't breathe...He can't focus.

It was mercy when the teal woman released the button.

Plasmius groans and falls, black rings threatening to take transformation around his waist. It was pure will that kept it down, knowing the woman would do more harm than good to his human side.

"You have no one to blame but yourself." She stands over him, her shadowing casting on his face.

Plasmius opens his eyes and greeted bright blue swirling light. He felt his being pulled and shoved in an enclosed space.

* * *

She did it.

Plasmius was captured.

She just captured her old colleague... her best friend... 

This was closure. It was what she needed.

Maddie can feel her eyes sting, water prickling around the edges. She gently removes her hood and goggles, her hair in a mess. She rubs her eyes with a black glove, only to make it worse with the hazmat. Her eyeliner ruined, sniffing as tears left her eyes. "It's over Maddie. Get a grip." She rubs her eyes more furiously, wishing these tears would - _just stop!_ "It's over."

But they won't stop.

"It's over. It's over." She continues to rub them away. _They don't exist_ , she tells herself, _They don't exist_. These tears don't exist. "He's gone." _No, he's not_.

She looks down at the Thermos in her hand. "It's over -done. I-I-"

It felt inhumane, dirty. This wasn't closure. This wasn't relief or the peace she had sought for. It was barbaric.

Her old friend was in this tiny tube, wounded and hurt. He used to be human -he had morals and- he made her smile. He helped get her here, fighting ghosts and made a name for both her and her husband. He was a scientist just like her. Yes, he was a bit of a creeper with the way he kept flirting with her, a married woman, but...it was always something she had come to admire about the man.

"No." She grips the Thermos tightly. "He threaten my family. Tried to kill Jack."

But not before. They knew each other.

And Danny- What would her son think of her?

Her own son is half-ghost, the same as he. 

She walks home, "It's done. It's over." The tears wouldn't stop.

Because to her, they don't exist.

* * *

Danny barely makes it back home, his reserves completely empty. He lands in the middle of the street in front his home, Danielle at his side. He spots his friends sitting on the porch, most likely waiting for him.

Sam was the first to get up, "Did you get him?"

Danny felt more exhausted just listening to the question. "The Guys in White did." Danny walks past her and Tucker. He slowly trudges up the porch. Glass breaking with every step as he went through the living room. He silently makes his way upstairs, broken machinery ignored. He opens his bedroom and notice the glass on his bed. "Great."

Sam walks up past him and goes to his bed, glass crunching with every step. She takes the blanket and pillows off, clearing the bed of glass. "Here. Lay down."

Danny plops on his bed, exhaustion eating away at his mind. "Thanks Sam."

"Just get some rest goof ball."

"Hm." With a final deep breath Danny forgets he still had his shoes on.

Tucker and Danni were just outside the door looking in. "Cousin sleeps like a rock."

Tucker shrugs, "It only happens when Danny runs on empty. He gets this real haunted look in his eyes and goes all zombie mode on us."

Sam closes the door behind her and then turns to Danni. "What happened?"

"The Guys in White happened. We were close in capturing him, until those idiots showed up." She glares at nothing in particular, dragging the tips of her shoes against the floor. "I give three days until that spook breaks out."

"Jack? Kids?" Maddie was calling out from the first floor.

Tucker, Sam, and Danni looks over the railing and sees Maddie shocked in what she found.

Tucker waves, "Hey, Mrs. Fenton!"

Maddie looks up and blinks. "Where's Danny?"

Sam answers, "Sleeping."

"And Jack?"

Tucker answers, "Lab."

"Okay," She looks around and sighs. "Thank you kids. Make sure you contact your parents, okay?"

"Sure thing Mrs. Fenton." 

Maddie leaves silently to find her husband.

"Was it just me, or does Mrs. Fenton looks out of it?" Tucker continues to watch Maddie.

"That was definitely her _'I can't believe it'_ look."

"Should I leave or..." Both Tucker and Sam look to Danni.

"Nah, I'm sure it's cool you stay."

"Do they know about...you know -cousin being..?"

"Yeah they do."

"Oh, okay. Cool."

All three teens look around the household.

"Should we help out?" Danni asked what they all had thought.

"Yeah." Tucker agrees.

"The second broom is in the hall closet." Sam instructed.

All three spread around the house and began cleaning the mess. Glass went into a bucket or box. Machinery was piled onto the table so not to get in the way, and the Fentons could look through it for anything salvageable. The rest was just thrown away as it was either completely destroyed or replaceable.

* * *

Maddie enters the lad and freezes at the site.

The place was beyond the usual mess. Machinery strewn about distinguishable, weapons and inventions thrown into one pile as they were also destroyed. Jack was in one corner, looking at one invention and grumbling to himself. "Useless, I'll have to start from scratch." He tosses the contraption into the pile of broken weapons.

"Jack."

The large man stops and looks at his wife. "Maddie?" He frowns. "What's wrong?"

She holds up the Fenton Thermos.

* * *

Danny wakes up feeling fully rested yet groggy. He moves his head to the side and views the clock.

06:42 pm

He had been asleep for a few hours.

He leans up and kicks his feet over the side of the bed. Glass breaks and crinkles underneath his foot, getting a dark reminder of what had happened earlier that day. "Right." He gets from his bed and heads down to the kitchen.

It was always the same process when it came to core exhaustion. His body would immediately would fall asleep, unconscious if it already went past the usual limit. After some shut eye his core would be fully replenish enough to move around and fly. To make up for the rest of the energy, he would need food and lots of it as his metabolism works like crazy during this time. After a full belly and relaxing, his core would be in full operation. But in the mean time, he was completely weak.

Sometimes, it sucks to being a half-ghost.

Before reaching the living room, Danny's nose is invaded with a delicious smell. The scent guides him to the kitchen...

"Hey, cousin!"

Danny blinks and then rubs his eyes. He blinks again and double takes his surroundings. The house was clean; no glass, no metal, windows covered with curtains, and walls completely patched and painted new. "Hey, yourself..."

Maddie serves his plate on the table, his father already asking for thirds, and Danni's face covered in spaghetti sauce.

"So...what happened? I don't see Sam or Tucker." He sits down at his seat, picking up his fork.

"Tomorrow's Monday." Danni answers, "and Sam already told your parents about me."

Jack pats Danny on the back. "It's good to know there was another Fenton out there doing good in the world!"

"Thanks dad -I guess." Danny starts to eat, and at the same time, starts a conversation with his twin. "Do they also know about-

"Vlad being my dad, yeah. Sam covered all the bases."

"Oh. okay." Dinner went on silently for a while. His father kept asking for more food as his mother kept feeding him.

"Okay what's going on?" Danny looks around the room, eyeing the others. "And don't tell me it's nothing, because dad would be going off on another invention and mom- you would be talking about school and asking me how my day was." He looks around again, watching his parents shifting eyes. "Please, tell me."

Danni slurps her last noodle and swallows. "Vlad is in the basement."

"Danielle!" Maddie shouts.

Danny gets up from his table and rushes down into the basement.

"Danny!" Maddie runs after her son, worried.

Danny stops in the middle of the lab and looks at the Fenton Rabbit-Trap. There was someone in there...

"Danny?" His mother was behind him, hesitant.

The teen half-ghost walks up to the cage and peers closely. Inside was Vlad in his human form, the Fenton Specter Deflector around his waist. He seems in deep thought, staring at the glass with his legs folded up to his chest. Danny walks around to stand in his line of sight. Vlad looks up at his new visitor and stares. They just stayed that way, staring. Finding some way to read each other's core. Danny places his hand on the glass, stretching his senses to reach Vlad. Vlad does the same.

Their cores touched in recognition.

"It's you." Vlad drags his hand down. "The boy from earlier. You're just like me."

Something is... _off_.

"You're different." Danny finds himself speaking. He squats down, hand still on the glass. "I didn't notice before." He can feel the difference. Vlad's core had always felt cracked, malformed with too much power oozing around the edges. Now...Now, he feels smooth and calm. It almost like something had came and filled in all the cracks and accommodated their energy with him. It feels nice and refreshing.

But something was still... _off_...

"I can say the same about you." He narrows his eyes. "Though I can't remember, my core seems to recognize yours." He looks down at his hand.

He knows this feeling...this _off_ feeling...

"What do you mean?" He can feel his core shift in rhythm with his. It was almost as if...

Vlad flinches and yanks his hand off the glass. "You're being invasive."

Danny just stares, his face fully flushed and embarrassed. "...You're..."

Vlad glares. "Very invasive." He looks off to the side, no longer looking at the teen.

Danny puts both hands on the glass pushing both his senses and energy into the glass cage. He know this feeling, this sensation. But it wasn't enough. He closes his eyes and rests his forehead on the glass. At this point he was using his new ecto-sensory powers to get to Vlad.

He can touch it now.

"STOP!"

Danny continues his concentration. He's getting closer, the energy becoming very familiar. It's there in his hands, so soft and gentle in his hands. The power echoing through him. It seem so frail in hands. The energy moving so fast it almost seem still, but he can feel it. He can the red and magenta energy flowing into one another.

Then it changes.

A dark and thick energy covers the core, changing into a neon purple. 

It spoke of promise and hatred.

This wasn't Vlad...

This was the _off_ feeling...

 **EVIL**.

"Stop." Danny opens his eyes and looks up. Vlad was gripping his chest, like he was trying to keep something inside. "It hurts..." 

The dark energy was there, surrounding Vlad -engulfing him even. 

Danny retracts his power and sees as soon as he stops, so does the dark energy. "What was that?" He looks down at his shaking hands staring...staring. "What was that?"

"My power."

Danny looks up, eyes wide. "That didn't feel like it was yours."

"No, not exactly, but I use it." Vlad lays down, limbs stretched out as he tries to get comfortable. "I don't know what you did, but please -don't do it again."

Danny sits down, legs crossed. "Sure."  He can still feel his hands shake. "So...who's your mate?"

"Invasive much." Vlad huffs.

"Just trying to get my information right."

"Dan."

Danny flinches. "Ew."

"Pardon me?"

Danny holds up his hands. "Not the homophobe- _ew_ , I totally support gay rights and all that. It's the fact he is both of **us** in one- _ew_."

Vlad shrugs. "He was there. He offered. I accepted." He looks over his shoulder and at Danny. "Who's the girlfriend?" 

"Sam."

"Cute."

"Pedophile."

"It's a matter of perspective."

Danny laughs. "I dare you to say that to her."

"I dare you to say _ew_ to Dan."

They both laugh.

After they calm down, Danny looks over the machine. The Fenton-Rabbit Trap is certainly impressive. "You really don't remember anything?"

"No." He frowns. "But I get the feeling I shouldn't remember." He looks back at Danny, both making eye contact. "It goes both ways. I felt your...concern and...skepticism about me. Even your doubts." He smiles. "But you don't hate me."

Danny smiles. "You weren't entirely at fault. And...everyone can make mistakes." He sighs, "Especially me."

"Ah." Vlad looks back up to the roof. "You should go eat. Spending that much energy mustn't be healthy."

"Would you like some dinner?"

"God yes." Vlad sits up and waits.

"I'll be back." Danny leaves the lab.

Maddie looks between his son and Vlad not understanding what just transpired. She thought her son hated the man. She thought she would've been judged by placing Vlad in such a position. Yet they just acted as though they were long gone friends meeting again. Was it a ghost thing, or was this something else. Her logical mind could not comprehend. She looks one last time at Vlad and goes back into the kitchen. Her son already passes her with excitement and two plates in each hand.

She'll just keep her distance and observe.

* * *

Valerie was just gaping at the building. "Fright Knight wasn't joking." The library was huge! Twelve stories tall and probably twice as wide. The structure from foundation to the observatory on the roof top spoke of knowledge and literature. She felt a little intimidated by just staring at it. 

Valerie carefully guides her board to the front door, remembering how to enter a ghost's keep without angering them. She rings the doorbell, a smooth and echoing gentle chime sends a shiver down her spine. The door opens and a pale ghost with green eyes and black hair glares. He huffs, flinging his grey scarf over his shoulder. "What do you want Red Huntress?"

"I- you know who I am?"

"I had enough time to -dare I say it- _google_ you and learn of your true name through several sources of social media before you even stepped upon my domain." He tugs on his purple coat, disgusted. "Such a degrading word! You humans are completely indolent within literary context."

"Uh..."

"Your _staggering_ response proves your _extensive_ comprehension." He rolls his eyes. "You want knowledge?"

"I -yes. Yes! I'm looking for information about ghosts that can create energy without ectoplasm."

The ghost adjusts his square glasses on his nose. "I have such knowledge, but it comes with a price." He sticks his hand out. "The Fenton Thermos, if you please?"

Valerie groans. "Here." She takes the thermos and hands it over to the ghost.

He spins the device in his hand gazing at it. "The science on this particular appliance is compelling." He tucks the thermos in his jacket, "You may enter." He walks into his library, Valerie close on his heels. As she enters, the door closes, spooking her.

"Be sure to treat my children with care." He coos at his books. "I would hate to repeat the same process as I did with Mr. Fenton." He gives Valerie his best toothy smile, sharp shark like teeth glinting white.

"Uh, okay. Can I get books on legends on ghosts with non-ectoplasmic powers."

The ghost waves his hand and books of all shapes and sizes come flying down. One by one they stack in neat piles on a table not far, covering one side in eight stacks. One the last one plops down, Valerie felt her jaw unhinging. The stacks were taller than her.

"Um..." She looks over to the ghost. "Is there a way to cut this down to probably about half."

"What are you specifically seeking?" He crosses his arms, clearly not happy.

"Ghosts...um. Real ghosts with powers that have powers not using ectoplasm."

"Ha! There is no such thing." As he boasted the library groans, the walls shaking as the lights flicker on and off. "Or there is..?" He sounded unsure of himself.

A book goes flying from the upper floor and smacks him on the head.

"Ow! That was completely unnecessary!" He shouts at no one in particular.

Valerie bends down and picks up the book. The thing was locked. The complex strap and mechanism made sure of that. The edges were silver as the leather a pure black. There was no title but a large symbol in the middle; a skull with a blue swirl surrounding it.

"Oh! I know that book!"

Valerie looks up to the ghost, handing the heavy locked book to him. "What is it?"

"It's the book of _Mens Mentis_ , also known as the Book..of...Creation." He frowns, "I've read it once...don't remember much. Ah - but legend goes there once was a ghost powerful enough to create things by pure imaginative thought. He even created the ghost of time, Clockwork."

"Are there any books on those?" Valerie asked excitedly.

"Clockwork?"

"No! _Mens Mentis_?"

" _Yes_..?" He rubs his chin recalling some information. "There are some related texts, most are forbidden."

"I need all of them."

The ghost glares, a frown a firm on his face. "They are forbidden."

"What could I trade you for? There has to be something?"

"What kind of _'They are forbidden'_ do you not understand?"

"Just tell me!"

The ghost frowns. He readjusts his glasses on his nose, standing firm. "Such knowledge is forbidden to humans because to the power they hold may be catastrophic to others, including us ghosts. If you wish to acquire access to such knowledge, you must make a pact and solemn promise to me that you never -never use the information for your own gain, or benefit. That whatever you may learn, you must always keep to yourself, both in life and death. This being forever your debt, and if you should ever break this promise you will be condemned to _life transpiring_. As in, your  knowledge, memory, and experiences will belong to **me** and _only_ **me**. You will become a vegetable, entire life - **impediment**." He raises his hands and a glowing purple -of multiple- keyboards surrounds him. He types away at the keys in rapid movement, words and letters flow through the many screens.

Valerie knew the ghost was powerful, but not this powerful. The large circulating purple keyboard brims with ectoplasm and untold power. The readings on her suit goes crazy, up and down just in time with the ghosts typing. Until it just stops. She looks up watching the ghost sipping from his cup. "Who-What are you?"

The ghost ignores her question. "Do you agree with the terms?"

Valerie looks at the ghost, biting her lip. She knew this was beyond her. Making deals with ghosts were soul bound, dangerous. But she was so close, she can just touch it -breathe it even! "Yes." She might regret it later.

"Are you sure?" He hovers his finger over one button, one key that seal the deal. "There's no going back after this."

"Yes." She speaks with more determination.

"I don't know if you're really desperate or just vacuous of how dire the situation is."

"I know what _vacuous_ means, asshole." She crosses her arms.

"Good." He presses the button.

It was rushing, the knowledge -the information. It was like drinking sparkling water, the taste less than rewarding but the sensation tingling and corrosive. It felt heavy, tiring and -she was cramming for an exam just the night before. No sleep, no rest, just an empty satisfaction of completing a task.

Valerie bends over and pukes.

"At least have the decency to warn me!" He quickly rushes next to her and makes the ground just underneath the puke intangible. "Absolutely putrid."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in school now, so stories are going to be slow. Sorry for the inconveniences.
> 
> This fanfic will only be posted on AO3 until it's completely finished. Then, I'll post it on Fanfiction.net. Otherwise enjoy the reading.


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